A survey of NHS support staff by King’s Business School has found there has not been any significant improvements in experiences of work since 2013.
Many of these crucial NHS staff are “undervalued and invisible”, according to The Cavendish Review Ten Years On: Are NHS support workers still ’invisible’?.
Radiography assistant practitioners, healthcare assistants, cancer support workers, physiotherapy assistants and other clinical staff make up 28 per cent of the NHS workforce, and are often the staff with the most direct contact with patients and their families, the report said.
There are currently 389,000 of these support staff in the NHS in England, with another 204,000 needed by 2037 to meet demand.
However the report, authored by professor Richard Griffin, Dr Abi Hall, and Professor Ian Kessler, revealed little progress on workforce issues identified more than 10 years ago.
‘Negative consequences for patients and staff’
Issues included limited opportunities for support staff to advance – just one in five think the NHS values them, and more than a quarter (28 per cent) regularly consider leaving their job.
The report said: “Poor utilisation and deployment of this important healthcare workforce has negative consequences for patients, staff, employers, and the NHS as a whole. Addressing the issues the support workforce face nationally, regionally, and locally, would benefit patient care, ease staff workloads, and improve organisational productivity, safety, and patient satisfaction.”
The survey also found support staff suffered from a lack of information about career progression routes, little support from their managers, and poor quality appraisals and Personal Development Plans. They also believed recruitment, induction, and onboarding processes should be improved.
Most surveyed were enthusiastic about the work that they did (75 per cent), felt proud of it (85 per cent), and that they made a difference to patients (83 per cent). They nonetheless believed they could contribute more if they had greater access to occupationally relevant education, time off for study and funding for professional development.
Around one in 10 said they had not been able to access any formal training in their whole career with the NHS.
Sue Johnson, professional officer for clinical imaging at the SoR, said: "The results were not surprising, and we understand the challenges that support workers and assistant practitioners in radiography face. The Society of Radiographers is committed to improving career opportunities for support workers, promoting inclusivity, and fostering avenues for professional growth and advancement, as demonstrated by our work over the past three years.
"The support and assistant workforce are integral to our career development framework, have a dedicated section on the website that is continually being developed and are encouraged to become members to receive additional support and have a say in decision-making. We are pleased to continue our collaboration with Professor Richard Griffin until 2025 as we strive to address the identified barriers and shape the strategic direction.
"The SoR is actively engaging with individuals, departments, and systems to determine the most effective use of resources and opportunities available to attract, retain, and develop a supportive and assistant workforce in radiography."
Change is needed
The report emphasised that support workers believe NHS workforce policy needs to change to address these issues.
It identified many of these changes were recommended by the initial Cavendish Review, such as common job titles, protected time off for study, protected funding for training, clear careers information, representation of support workers at board level, support to access pre-registration degrees, better quality appraisals, review of pay banding, a national support staff workforce plan and clear task descriptions.
Responses demonstrated there had been some progress since 2013, such as on the quality of supervision and the clarity around scope of practice.
Following the initial review undertaken ten years ago by Camilla Cavendish, Financial Timescolumnist and contributing editor research fellow at the Mossavar Rahmani Center, Harvard Kennedy School, a survey has been undertaken by King’s Business School of King’s College London to assess whether NHS support staff still face the issues identified in 2013.
Ms Cavendish said of the new report: “It is frustrating to see that so many of the issues and challenges I identified 10 years ago still remain. When the NHS faces acute backlogs and staff shortages, it is vital to maximise the potential of all staff.”
The report was completed between November 2023 and January 2024, and surveyed 5,255 NHS support staff.
Radiographers, support workers and assistant practitioners interested in sharing their perspectives can contact Sue Johnson to join the working group and a new advisory group at the Society of Radiographers.