The drop in morale at University Hospitals Southampton is of no surprise to us. Speaking to members this has been really evident and the decision to cut the specialist bank rate will have almost certainly played into this. Nurses have told us that this decision led to them feeling undervalued and demoralised which is exactly what the results show.

The sharp decline since 2021 for the questions ‘I would recommend my organisation as a place to work’ (73.23% to 53.68%) and ‘If a friend or relative needed treatment I would be happy with the standard of care provided by this organisation’ (from 82.84% to 64.79%) is stark when compared to other Trusts in the region.

The lack of nurses which leads to unsafe staffing levels is also shocking with only 18.64% of nursing and midwifery respondents either agreeing or strongly agreeing that ‘there are enough staff for me to do my job properly’.