Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has one of the happiest workforces in the country and gives some of the best care to patients, according to the findings of a national survey.

Results from the annual NHS National Staff Survey rated Sherwood Forest as the fourth best acute trust in the country for staff satisfaction with the quality of work and care that they provide.

It had one of the best overall engagement scores in the country, and the second best in the East Midlands for acute trusts.

The results were based on a 57% response rate from all staff, the highest in the East Midlands and the joint seventh highest in the country for acute NHS trusts.

Four out of five staff said they would be happy with the standard of care provided if a friend or relative needed treatment, and they would recommend the trust as a place to work — results above the national average.

The trust, which runs King’s Mill, Newark and Mansfield Community hospitals, takes part in the survey each year.

For the first time all staff were invited to share their views, with 2,500 having their say.

Trust chief executive Richard Mitchell said: We know our next Care Quality Commission inspection is imminent.

“We hope the inspectors see the improvements, which we have worked hard to implement over the last few years, are making a big difference to our staff and the care patients receive.

“I appreciate there are areas where we can improve and we will use the results to develop ways to improve the experience for staff and patients.

“The best way of delivering high-quality of care is through a happy and engaged team.
“The results show we have made even more progress on this in the last 12 months.”