Staff at the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals (RBCH) have rated their Trust among the top 20% of all acute Trusts in the UK in a number of areas.

Staff who responded to the survey said that they:

•Would recommend RBCH as a place to work or receive treatment

•Feel valued by their work

•Have job satisfaction

Overall, the Trust scored better than average in the top 20% of all acute Trusts in the UK for 29 out of the 38 measures.

The improvements made since the 2010 Staff Survey are a direct result of the action plan and work undertaken over the last 12 months.

The 2011 survey showed:

•85% of staff were given appraisals compared with 61% in 2010, among the top 20% of all trusts.

A staff appraisal task and finish group, has focused on improving the amount of appraisals completed in a timely way and the quality of the appraisal documentation.

•Improved communication and engagement with staff – the Trust was in the best 20% when compared to Trust’s of a similar type.

•Top 20% of trusts for staff who feel valued by their work colleagues.

•Top 20% of all trusts for staff who felt supported by their immediate managers.

The Trust score for physical violence against staff was average but the number of staff saying they experienced physical violence from patients, their relatives or members of the public has dropped from 12% in 2010 to 8% in 2011.

Helen Lingham, Deputy Chief Executive at the foundation trust, said: “These are great results and we are really pleased that they are showing staff feel that the Trust is a good place to work, and a good place for patients to receive treatment.

“We use the staff survey results to measure how staff feel about working at the Trust and to identify areas where improvements are needed, so that we can attract and retain first-class staff to deliver first-class care for our patients.”

850 members of staff, selected at random, were sent a copy of the staff survey by the Picker Institute, which carries out the survey on behalf of staff. 61% of staff responded, higher than the national average of 49.6%.

The staff survey questionnaire content is agreed nationally and includes questions on topics such as work-life balance; training, learning and development; occupational health and safety and health and well-being.