Birmingham University. UK: Hospital patients experience better outcomes when NHS staff are happier in their jobs, according to new research. A longitudinal study comparing NHS staff surveys with other
measures between 2009 and 2012 found a ‘clear’ link between staff
satisfaction and organisational performance.
The study, funded by the NIHR and led by the Health Services
Management Centre at the University of Birmingham in conjunction with
Sheffield University Management School, compared factors including staff
satisfaction, ‘intermediate’ outcomes such as rates of absenteeism and
staff turnover, and ‘final’ outcomes such as hospital mortality rates,
infection rates, regulator ratings and patient satisfaction.
Professor Martin Powell, Professor of Health and Social Policy at
the Health Services Management Centre, University of Birmingham, said:
‘Overall, there was a clear pattern that better staff experiences are
associated with better outcomes for employees and patients. In
particular, negative experiences such as aggression, discrimination or
perceiving unequal opportunities were harmful to staff, as well as
increasing absence and being linked to lower patient satisfaction.
‘Several positive staff experiences, reflecting the quality of
jobs and positive attitudes about organisations, were associated with
higher patient satisfaction and lower absenteeism.’
The strongest correlation found in the data was between negative
staff experiences and higher rates of absenteeism, with evidence that
this relationship is causal. The research also identified relationships
between staff satisfaction and patient satisfaction, and staff
absenteeism and patient mortality.
Professor Powell added: ‘What we have found is that if we have to
go to hospital, it’s probably better to go into a hospital where the
staff are happy – we might have suspected that, but now we have data to
back it up.’