At DHC, we know that delivering great care depends on our people. It’s important that they feel happy at work, valued and listened to. Our annual NHS staff survey is a key way of gathering this feedback and understand how we are performing.
It allows us to track progress year on year, helping us identify what is working well and where further attention is needed. In addition, we can benchmark ourselves against the NHS average and other providers locally.
The survey offers staff the opportunity to comment on many aspects, such as:
- Working at DHC: Willingness to recommend as a place to work. Would recommend receiving treatment to family or friends.
- Job: Responsibilities, satisfaction, motivation and flexible working.
- Team: Dynamics, conflict resolution, involvement in changes.
- Managers: Supporting staff, interested in their well-being.
This year’s survey ran from November 2025 to January 2026. All staff were invited to participate, which included clinical, administrative and managerial roles.
We’re delighted to share the highlights with you here:
Working at DHC
- One of the strongest results in the survey relates to confidence in the care we provide. 90% would recommend DHC to a friend or relative needing treatment, which is an increase from 84% last year and significantly higher than the NHS average of 63%.
- We are proud that 70% would recommend DHC as a great place to work, which indicates strong employee satisfaction and a positive work environment. This is compared with the NHS average of 58% and a significant step up from our results last year (59%).
- The proportion of staff saying they feel safe to speak up about concerns has increased from 67% to 78%, with an increased confidence that these concerns would be addressed. These are important indicators of a healthy organisational culture.
- 87% feel DHC acts on concerns raised by patients, this compares well against last year (83%) and the NHS average (69%).
Job
- 91% say their role makes a difference to patients, which is an increase from 85% last year and higher than the NHS score of 87%. Purpose and impact are important in our culture and this shines through.
- Staff also report good opportunities to show initiative in their role, with 71% agreeing with this statement, up from 63% last year.
- 86% feel trusted to do their job, slightly higher than an already strong result last year.
- We also saw a very positive improvement in flexible working opportunities, with 77% of staff saying they are happy with this. This is a significant increase from 68% last year and well above the NHS score of 57%. This has been an area of focus so it’s great to see we are delivering the work/life balance our staff need.
Team
- 84% enjoy working with their colleagues, an important factor in overall job satisfaction. This strong sense of teamwork has been maintained from last year and is higher than the NHS average of 81%.
- Staff feel significantly more recognised for good work; 72% compared to 55% last year, and significantly higher than the national average of 53%.
- 69% feel enthusiastic about their job and that time passes quickly while working, compared with 61% last year and the national average of 66%.
- Feeling valued and respected by team members continues to score positively, matching or exceeding last year and remaining above the NHS benchmark.
Managers
- Across every question in this category, results have improved since last year, with all scores now above the NHS average. Positive relationships between colleagues and their managers are a key strength.
- 91% feel their line manager values their work, an increase from 82% last year and well above the NHS average of 73%.
- Staff report positive results for feeling listened to by their manager when raising challenges (up from 80% to 89%), and for managers caring about their concerns (up from 78% to 85%).
- One of the biggest improvements in this area is managers asking for staff opinions before making decisions that affect their work. This has increased significantly from 54% to 70% (NHS average 60%); a very encouraging improvement.
Conclusion
We are continually grateful for the dedication of all our staff and would like to thank everyone who took part in this survey. It is encouraging to see that overall staff experience continues to improve, with almost two‑thirds of measures moving in a positive direction. Compared to the NHS average, we are performing very well across most areas, particularly in how staff are treated, valued and managed. DHC is also performing well when compared with other local NHS providers.
At the same time, we are committed to understanding any challenges and areas for improvement. These include career development opportunities, access to clinical supervision and support with workload pressures. We have a strong foundation to continue building on so staff can confidently say that DHC is a great place to work, now and into the future.
If you are interested in working for us, find out more here
