Using real-time, anonymous staff feedback to improve staff experience and engagement

Abstract

Improving staff engagement has become a priority for NHS leaders, although efforts in this area vary between organisations. University Hospital Bristol NHS Foundation Trust (UH Bristol) is a tertiary teaching hospital where concerns about staff satisfaction and communication were reflected in the 2014 staff survey. To improve staff engagement, a real-time feedback mechanism to capture staff experience and to facilitate feedback from local leaders, was developed and piloted using the Model for Improvement. Initially piloted in two areas in January 2015, the Staff Participation Engagement and Communication application (SPEaC-app) was gradually rolled out to 23 areas within the trust by November 2016.The 2015 staff survey revealed significant improvements in staff motivation, satisfaction with level of responsibility and involvement, and perceived support from managers. These improvements cannot be attributed to this new mechanism in their entirety, but local surveys indicated satisfaction with SPEaC-app, the majority reporting that giving feedback about their shift was valuable while fewer staff had noticed changes in their work area as a result of the comments made via SPEaC-app. Between March 2015 and November 2016, 9259 entries were recorded, with an average of 15 entries per day across all areas. Of the entries, 45.7% were positive and nearly 40% were negative, and ‘team working’ was the most frequent theme.The project has identified the key factors associated with usability of the SPEaC-app, including, access, location, reliability and perceived privacy of the SPEaC-app. The SPEaC-app is valued and used most by staff in areas where feedback from local leaders is regular, rapid and comprehensive, and where staff comments are acted upon, leading to tangible change. This suggests that strong, consistent local management is required in order to embed it in new areas. SPEaC-app has the potential to support local engagement between managers and their service delivery teams, stimulate tangible improvements in service delivery and support the process of change. Longer term data are needed to determine whether SPEaC-app can influence other factors including staff turnover, recruitment and retention.

A daily measure of job satisfaction in the operating room: investigating its value and viability

“…A number of comparisons can be made between our study and those of Frampton et al 18 and Hinsley et al 17 As with our study, both studies developed the tool in collaboration with hospital personnel. Both studies used a simple visual system, smiley face and traffic light, and aimed to gain additional information regarding the reasons underpinning staff responses.…”

“…Transparent and regular feedback and action from managers are likely to be essential for the tool's success, with trust likely to develop as staff see evidence of positive change through its use. This was a seen in both the Frampton et al 18 and Hinsley et al 17 studies, which were conducted over much longer time frames. Both studies reported an increase in staff engagement as management actively and positively responded to feedback and comments.…”

“…The survey was offered in both paper and digital form and employees could choose if they wanted to remain anonymous. Similarly, Frampton et al 18 conducted a study across 23 different hospital specialty areas in a tertiary teaching hospital in the United Kingdom. They developed and trialled a daily anonymous survey accessed via iPad at multiple kiosks around the hospital.…”

Feedback With Performance Metric Scorecards Improves Resident Satisfaction but Does Not Impact Clinical Performance

“…As incorporation of performance metric reports in the feedback process has not yet become standardized at our institution, it is not surprising that resident physicians felt anxiety about the process. Prior studies have demonstrated a need for improved quantitative feedback provided to residents beyond the milestone scores and a recent study found that feedback can improve patient safety culture and lower burnout rates . Performance metric reports provide an opportunity to integrate data from the EHR and augment feedback from the competencies patient flow and system‐based management to improve feedback opportunities for our learners.…”

“…Satisfaction with feedback has been linked to improvements in staff motivation, satisfaction with level of responsibility and involvement, and perceived support from managers . Providing feedback has also been shown to lower rates of burnout, increase employee engagement, and improve patient safety culture .…”