Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the report by Dr Steven Boorman<i> NHS Health and well-being</i>, which concluded that there was a relationship between employee health and well-being and performance on issues such as patient satisfaction, annual health check ratings and MRSA rates.

The Government acknowledges Dr Boorman’s conclusions and, each year since 2010, has commissioned support for NHS trusts to improve their staff health and wellbeing.

Progress is being made. This year, the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) concluded in its audit, Implementing NICE public health guidance for the workplace: a national organisational audit of NHS trusts in England, that “National Health Service trusts are beginning to prioritise staff health and wellbeing” saying “employers that implement the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) workplace guidance tend to have a healthier and more productive workforce and better patient outcomes”. The NICE workplace guidance focuses on board and staff engagement; physical activity; tackling obesity; promoting mental wellbeing; smoking cessation and the management of long term sickness absence.

This year’s audit by the RCP was a repeat from 2011 following Boorman and while it showed progress, there is no room for complacency although NHS staff sickness absence (4.06%)¹ is the lowest since Boorman and all NHS staff have access to occupational health services.

The Department’s support for the NHS, which it provides via NHS Employers, is based on five high impact actions: developing local evidence based improvement plans; with strong visible leadership; supported by improved management capability; with access to better, local, high quality accredited occupational health services; and where staff are encouraged and enabled to take more responsibility for their health.

[1] This is the latest full year percentage figure for NHS staff sickness absence calculated as a rolling average annual percentage rate and based on figures published in July by the Health and Social Care Information Centre.