NHS staff have ranked St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals as the best place to work and recieve treatment across the North West, in spite of challenges facing the health sector.

In this year's NHS Staff Survey, which collected the thoughts of more than 600,000 staff members across the country, the local NHS Trust came out as the regional leader in a host of areas.

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High scores for St Helens and Knowsley NHS Trust

St Helens Star: The borough's hospitals have received positive feedback despite the challenges faced in recent years The borough's hospitals have received positive feedback despite the challenges faced in recent years (Image: St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust)

Ranking the local hospital trust as the best place to work across the North West, the organisation also recieved the highest score for the quality of care it provides to patients across the borough.

With the survey ranking NHS Trusts across each region, St Helens and Knowsley received the highest scores across many of the survey’s themes.

This included being a compassionate and inclusive employer, positive staff engagement, high staff morale, providing a safe and healthy environment, and recognising and rewarding staff.

In total, the Trust scored above the national average in 28 of the 30 staff experience themes measured.

Increase in negative feedback across the country

St Helens Star: The national survey did receive some negative feedback following industrial action over pay and working conditionsThe national survey did receive some negative feedback following industrial action over pay and working conditions (Image: St Helens Star)

Despite the positive scores in St Helens and Knowlsey, the survey's results showed that more staff are feeling under pressure and are worried about the standards of patient care across the country.

Across the country, 62.9% were happy with the standard of care provided by their organisation in 2022, down from 67.8% the previous year, while 17.3% said that they will leave their organisation as soon as they can find another job.

These results follow the huge pressures faced by the NHS over the past few years, with the pandemic and rising flu cases creating a huge backlog of patients, while staff took industrial action in disputes over pay and working conditions earlier this year.

Following the recent crises, Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers, said it is "no surprise" that the survey's results reflect the pressures that NHS staff has faced.

He said that the government needs to listen to calls from NHS Leaders for a "long promised and much overdue workforce plan" to improve the sector.

'Every day our staff make a difference to people's lives'

St Helens Star: Ruth Du Plessis, director of public health and Cllr Anthony Burns with the team delivering a cancer clinical trial in 2021Ruth Du Plessis, director of public health and Cllr Anthony Burns with the team delivering a cancer clinical trial in 2021 (Image: St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust)

Speaking about the local survey results, Ann Marr OBE, Chief Executive of St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “We work extremely hard to provide a happy and healthy environment for all our staff, and this links directly to delivering the highest standards of patient care.

"Every day our staff make a difference to people’s lives and it is important that we provide the best possible workplace for them to deliver care.

"As an organisation we pride ourselves on listening, supporting and recognising the daily contribution of every member of staff, and our success is all down to them.”