Surveys can provide rapid, real-life information directly from large numbers of staff. By listening to staff across different roles and locations, surveys will give us valuable insights into how people feel about their work, what keeps them going, and what might push them to leave. This helps us identify what needs to change to improve staff wellbeing, keep good people in the workforce, and make sure the system works better for everyone, including patients.
Approach and methods
Surveys will be tailored to specific projects and populations, and will be carefully developed with input from staff, researchers, and public representatives, and knowledge from previous research.
Surveys across populations will include measures such as:
- burnout (feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, or disconnected from work),
- organisational culture (how supported and valued staff feel in their workplace),
- career intentions (whether staff are thinking about staying, leaving, or changing jobs),
- positive motivators (what helps people feel satisfied and supported in their roles).
Some surveys will be repeated over a period of several months, so we can track whether interventions (like new support programmes or workplace changes) are actually improving staff wellbeing and retention. Others may be repeated more rapidly, to get insight into experiences in a ‘diary’ format.
The results from the survey will help in several ways:
- understand what matters most to staff in different settings and roles,
- design better support systems tailored to local needs,
- evaluate whether our solutions work, by comparing survey results before and after changes are introduced,
- inform national policy, by providing evidence from under-served areas that are often missed in larger studies.
The findings will be shared with NHS leaders, local managers, policymakers, and the public through clear, accessible reports and resources.
Challenges and limitations
Staff are often busy and may not have time to complete a questionnaire. That’s why we’re working closely with local teams to make participation as easy and meaningful as possible. We’re also being careful to avoid “survey fatigue” by limiting how often people are asked to take part. Another challenge is making sure the survey reaches all kinds of staff and not just those in high-profile roles or urban areas. We are actively targeting diverse groups, including those in rural, coastal, or deprived areas, to make sure everyone’s voice is heard.
The survey is a crucial tool in our mission to build a more sustainable, inclusive, and supportive health and care workforce. By listening to staff and acting on what we learn, we can create better working conditions, improve services, and ultimately ensure better care for all.
Opportunities in this workstream
The survey will be distributed through NHS organisations and care providers, and efforts are being made to include staff in all roles from clinicians to admin and support teams. For some projects, surveys will be sent directly to staff emails, but for others we may share public links – these will be available in the Get Involved page.
As we develop new surveys, we will also be looking for members of the target population to make sure that the questions are accessible and relevant, and advise on how best to distribute the survey.
