HC Deb 10 March 2004 vol 418 cc1607-8W
Mr. Burstow

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research has been commissioned by his Department into the attitudes of staff in the NHS since 1997. [154988]

Mr. Hutton

The Department of Health Policy Research Programme has funded research on a range of issues in the national health service which has included components whereby staff's attitudes have been sought across a range of issues. Research containing a significant element on staff attitudes has been commissioned on topics including:

  • cohort studies of nurses' careers;
  • cohort studies of doctors' careers;
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  • the attractiveness of the NHS as an employer;
  • the establishment of the role of nurse consultant;
  • the establishment of the role of modern matron;
  • the extension of nurse prescribing;
  • the retention of women in the primary care nursing workforce after the age of 50;
  • benchmarking and bowel care in community home settings;
  • vaccinating health workers against influenza;
  • labour costs, clinical outcomes and staff attitudes;
  • health infomatics education for health professionals;
  • staff satisfaction, patient satisfaction and patient outcomes;
  • overseas doctors' experiences and expectations of training in the UK;
  • the attractiveness of the NHS as an employer to potential nursing and allied health professionals staff;
  • staff involvement in the NHS.

A list of Policy Research Programme projects have been placed in the Library.

In addition, NHS trusts are required to conduct staff opinion surveys and 10 core questions about staff involvement and communications were added to local surveys in 2001 and 2002 and the results fed into performance ratings. From 2003 Commission for Health Improvement took over responsibility for conducting national NHS staff opinion surveys which will assess staff attitudes to a number of areas of their work.