King's College London National Nursing Research Unit Policy+

Policy+ is a publication from the National Nursing Research Unit which aims to deliver brief overviews of evidence related to current policies affecting the nursing workforce in England, the wider United Kingdom and the rest of the world.  Its aim is to make research evidence more readily available in an easily digested format for policy makers; policy implementers; practitioners; and the general public.  Recent topics include:

Issue No 39:  Does NHS staff wellbeing affect patient experience of care?

It may be reasonable to presume that patients receive better care from staff who feel happier in their work. However little is known about the strength or possible impact of associations between staff wellbeing and patient outcomes including their experiences of the care provided.

Previous research has tended to focus on single aspects or one staff group, or have looked at associations at the whole hospital level (for example using the national staff and patient surveys, and hospital level outcomes. Researchers in the NNRU have completed a study within the English NHS exploring the links between patients' experiences of health care and staff experiences at work such as staff motivation and wellbeing at work. 

This Policy+ focuses on staff and patient views at the team/unit level – where possible matching staff to the individual patients they cared for to test associations between staff and patient experience.

Website: King's College London