New analysis released today reveals
how early careers clinical staff in the NHS have become more
stressed and unhappy over the past decade, with over half of
young workers now made ill through workplace stress. The analysis
raises fresh concerns around staff morale and ensuring the health
service workforce is fit for the future.
Researchers from the independent
health and social care think tank the Nuffield Trust explored
data from 20 years of the NHS England Staff Survey [1] to see if
the experiences and motivations of clinical staff [2] varied by
age. The study is the first
to examine how survey responses have changed over time between
different age groups.
All age groups have seen shifts in
their feelings about work and pay, especially over the past 10
years of the survey – with clear spikes in stress and
dissatisfaction for all generations during the pandemic years of
2020-22. While these levels have started to come down post-Covid,
the gulf between the experiences of the NHS's youngest and oldest
workers markedly widened from 2013-2023, with young staff now
increasingly unhappy in their jobs.
The researchers found that from
2013-2023:
-
Stress levels in staff aged 21-30
have risen by 14 percentage points – with more than half
(52%) in 2023 saying they were made unwell through
work-related stress over the previous year, compared to 38%
in 2013. Meanwhile, the proportion of workers aged 51-65
reporting being made ill through work stress has gone down
over the same period (from 43% to 40%).
-
Staff aged 21-30 are enjoying
their work less, with 15% not looking forward to their jobs
in 2023, compared to 12% in 2013 – while the proportion of
workers aged 51-65 who say they “rarely or never look forward
to work” has fallen (from 13% to 10%).
As well as looking at pay
satisfaction, the researchers examined how overtime levels
varied. All staff did more unpaid overtime during the pandemic,
but rates in 2023 were similar or slightly lower than 2013 levels
for all age groups. Staff in age groups from 41-50 and 51-65 are
the most likely to do unpaid overtime, with 16% of workers in
those age brackets doing at least six hours of unpaid work a week
in 2023 – compared to 7% of those aged
21-30.
Meanwhile, all age groups are doing
more paid overtime shifts than they were in 2013 – especially the
youngest, which the researchers surmise is linked to rising
financial pressures. In 2023, nearly a third (30%) of staff aged
21-30 did at least six hours paid overtime a week, compared to
20% in 2013.
The researchers have called on NHS
leaders and employers to urgently investigate increasing levels
of stress among younger staff, and to do more to tailor
approaches to staff wellbeing, support and retention in
accordance with the experiences of different age
groups.
Nuffield Trust Chief Executive
Thea Stein said:
“Our analysis of the NHS Staff Survey
drills down into the responses of more than a million staff over
20 years, revealing how the experiences of workers of different
ages vary over time.
“The traditionally tough start faced
by the youngest staff has got even tougher over the past decade,
with Gen Z NHS workers now having to manage exams, early career
demands and learning the job in potentially overstretched
services alongside escalating cost of living pressures. Our
findings raise real concerns around the NHS's ability to retain
its youngest workers, who are just at the start of their careers
but are increasingly unhappy.
“The future of the health service
depends on these workers. It is vital
policy-makers and employers
now act on what the NHS's own staff poll shows us about what the
next generation of clinicians need to stay and thrive in the
NHS.”
Ends
References and notes to
editors
1. Nuffield Trust researchers analysed
responses from every year of the NHS England Staff Survey, from
2003 to the latest release in 2023. More information about the
survey and results can be found here: www.nhsstaffsurveys.com
2. Analysis was restricted to clinical
staff groups, covering:
3. The Nuffield Trust
study, What does the
NHS staff survey tell us about the changing behaviours and
motivation of health care staff? Is being released as a web-based long read
with interactive charts displaying NHS Staff Survey responses as
data points. For a static version of the study, click
here.
