Background: Organizational features can affect how staff view their quality of work life. Determining staff perceptions about quality of work life is an important consideration for employers interested in improving employee job satisfaction. The purpose of this study was to identify organization specific predictors of job satisfaction within a health care system that consisted of six independent health care organizations.

The objective of this research was to test whether extrinsic, intrinsic or “prior” traits best predict satisfaction with quality of work life (QWL) in health care. Extrinsic traits are salaries and other tangible benefits; intrinsic traits include skill levels, autonomy and challenge. Prior traits are those of the individuals involved, such as their gender or employment status. A survey of employees was conducted in seven different health‐care settings located in the south central region of Ontario, Canada. A total of 65 questions were gathered into scales measuring such factors as co‐worker support, supervisor support and teamwork and communication. These were factor‐analyzed into intrinsic and extrinsic variables, and regressed against a satisfaction scale, with socio‐demographic variables included. Based on the results, the following conclusions can be drawn: objectively identifiable traits of an organization – pay, benefits and supervisor style – play the major role in determining QWL satisfaction. Decision‐makers with an interest in improving QWL in a health‐care institution can focus on these traits and pay correspondingly less attention to enhancing staff autonomy or discretion.

People with learning disabilities can have negative experiences in hospitals. One of the key reasons for this is the lack of time available for staff to understand individuals' needs. This article describes the development and implementation of the one-page patient passport, designed to provide individualised information about the person for doctors, nurses and administrative staff. The results from a pilot evaluation indicate that the tool promotes high levels of support for people with learning disabilities on admission to and during their stay in hospital.