Staff burnout a real concern as winter pressures loom

NHS Providers says the sustained physical, psychological and emotional pressure on health staff is threatening to push them beyond their limits.

The warning has been prompted by fresh evidence of trust leaders’ concerns over the toll of unrelenting pressure on the workforce, worries over the impact of winter, and frustration that trusts need more support from the government to deliver a sustainable service.

However, NHS Providers also says that most leaders say the quality of care being provided in their local area is high or very high, and they report that collaboration across different organisations in their communities to improve services for patients has increased during the pandemic.

Drawn from a survey of trust leaders, the findings have been published in a new briefing as the NHS faces growing pressure from coronavirus, the need to restore services for patients which were disrupted by the pandemic, and the added activity for hospitals, mental health, community and ambulance services that comes with winter.

Leaders from 140 NHS trusts and foundation trusts – more than two thirds of the total – across England responded to the survey. Findings include: 99 per cent were concerned about current levels of burnout across the workforce; 94 per cent were extremely or moderately concerned about the impact of seasonal pressures over winter; 56 per cent were worried that the government and its arms length bodies were not effectively supporting the delivery of a sustainable service; 83 per cent were worried that insufficient investment is being made in social care in their area; 68 per cent said the quality of healthcare being provided in their area was high or very high; and 92 per cent said that collaboration and partnership working in local systems had accelerated during the pandemic.

Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, said: “Month after month NHS staff have been going the extra mile to care for patients, often in intolerable conditions. But as this survey makes clear, they’re now running out of road. There’s been no let-up in the pressure.

“Everyone wants to get services back to normal and bear down on delays. We’ve seen remarkable progress on that in recent weeks, despite the limitations imposed – rightly – by tough infection controls. “But now with the new surge in Covid-19, looming winter pressures, and continuing severe staff shortages, it’s clear from our survey that trust leaders are deeply concerned for their workforce. The worry is that the sustained physical, psychological and emotional pressure on health staff is threatening to push them beyond their limits of endurance.

“It is also striking that more than six months into the pandemic, trust leaders feel the plans put forward by the government to deliver a sustainable service are not where it should be. It’s vital that we have a robust and effective test and trace regime in place in time for winter. Time’s running short and despite some progress, there’s a long way to go.

“Trust leaders are determined to ensure staff and patients are safe. That means securing a reliable supply of PPE. On this, the situation is much improved. But they also need to know that all extra costs arising from a second surge of Covid-19 will be covered. Some trusts already face significant gaps in this year’s finances, and it could get much worse.

“Against this backdrop it is remarkable to see trust leaders report the quality of healthcare being provided in their area remains high. And it’s particularly encouraging to see the way that the pandemic has galvanised local collaboration between different organisations to provide a better, more seamless service.

“Providers have been at the forefront of this work and it is clear they will have a leading role to play in consolidating and developing further the improvements we have seen in the way services are organised and delivered. This is a powerful – and much needed – signal of hope as services and their staff steel themselves for what promises to be a long, hard winter.”