A THIRD of staff at Dorset County Hospital are thinking of leaving their jobs.

A National Health Service survey found that 35 per cent - or 128 people - of those questioned often think about leaving the hospital trust.

And of those considering leaving, 19 per cent said it was because they do not feel valued for their work.

The survey found that:

  • A quarter experienced harassment, bullying or abuse from patients over the last year, and 16 per cent from other colleagues.
  • More than a third are not satisfied with recognition they get for their work and have felt unwell due to work-related stress.
  • A third have seen errors, near misses or incidents that could have hurt patients.
  • A third do not have adequate materials, supplies and equipment to do their work.
  • Almost half do not have time to carry out all their work and think there are not enough staff.
  • More than half work regular unpaid overtime.

The annual NHS Staff Survey is published today by the Healthcare Commission.

More than 350 Dorset County Hospital staff gave their views on a range of issues between October and December last year including job satisfaction, work/life balance, violence, infection control and training.

The trust employs more than 3,000 people and the hospital said feedback had been positive.

More than half of staff said care of patients is the hospital's top priority. The percentage of staff trained in infection control was found to be 88 per cent - higher than the national average.

Nigel Crainey, director of organisational development at the hospital, said the number of staff who feel the trust is committed to supporting work/life balance was up.

He added: "We are a family- friendly organisation and do our best to accommodate people's needs through schemes such as flexitime and job sharing."

He added: "The percentage of staff who felt that their line manager provides good support has risen significantly, but we recognise that we still have work to do to improve communication between staff and senior managers and between different departments within the hospital.

"The survey is a good measure of how staff are feeling and the challenges they are facing. We will now be looking at the issues highlighted and working with staff to address them."

The Healthcare Commission said national results found staff were generally satisfied but more work was needed to address violence and abuse.

Commission chief executive Anna Walker said: "The results show there are a lot of reasons to work in the NHS, including the satisfaction staff get from their jobs, the ability to work hours that suit through to real training opportunities.

"But there are challenges to making the NHS a better place to work.

"Staff do not feel their work is valued by their trust and that communication with senior management is poor. These are things that trusts can and must change."