Survey for Bank Staff
Analysis 17/01/2017
359 responses to 17/01/2017
Q1. Who usually contacts you about working a shift on the Bank?
No. of replies / PercentBank / 114 / 32.1%
Ward / 86 / 24.2%
Combination / 155 / 43.7%
Total / 355 / 100.0%
Table 1
Q2. How are you usually contacted?
No. of replies / Percent/302Text / 260 / 72.8%
Phone / 172 / 48.2%
Face to face contact / 95 / 26.6%
Other / 9 / 2.5%
Table 2
Multiple responses: percentages will not add up to 100
Other:
email (5 responses)If I am in the ward I see the shifts required and pick up the ones I can do
I often contact the nurse bank to find out if there are any shifts. Not getting as many texts now
Pre booked for shifts
Arrange shifts via manager
Pre-arranged three months in advance
Via bank sheets on ward
I phone and pick up shifts
On ward working, see shifts available
Or ward
I only answer texts. No ward or bank contact me
Q3. If you receive texts from the Bank, are the shifts offered appropriate for you (eg correct grade)?
No. of replies / PercentAlways / 255 / 75.7%
Sometimes / 68 / 20.2%
Seldom / 14 / 4.2%
Total / 337 / 100.0%
Table 3
Not applicable responses (n= 19) have been excluded
Comment:
Not always clear what bandThere have been times when I got text for Band 5
Very rarely receive texts
Vast majority of the time yes
Occasionally not the correct band
In other area where I don’t do shifts
Newly qualified so am only able to work in a certain ward and I get texts for all wards
Most of the time
Usually although sometimes not specified which grade
Have phoned to cover shift but advised wrong grade to what ward is looking for
Mostly correct, occasionally not
I am only working for health improvement and would need to update some training before working in an acute setting
Although, I would be open to receiving Band 5 texts ... I would work them as very few Band 6 available
Work full-time so only weekends available
Q4. Have you ever turned up for a shift that is already filled?
No. of replies / PercentYes / 61 / 17.1%
No / 296 / 82.9%
Total / 357 / 100.0%
Table 4
If yes, how often has this happened?
No. of replies / PercentOnce / 21 / 45.7%
Twice / 7 / 15.2%
Three times / 5 / 10.9%
Other / 13 / 28.3%
Total / 46 / 100.0%
Table 5
Q5. Have you ever had a shift cancelled?
No. of replies / PercentYes / 134 / 37.3%
No / 225 / 62.7%
Total / 359 / 100.0%
Table 6
If yes, how often has this happened?
No. of replies / PercentOnce / 31 / 34.7%
Twice / 17 / 17.3%
Three times / 4 / 4.0%
Other / 41 / 44.0%
Total / 93 / 100.0%
Table 7
Q6. Have you ever turned up for a shift that you are not trained for?
No. of replies / PercentYes / 10 / 2.8%
No / 349 / 97.2%
Total / 359 / 100.0%
Table 8
If yes, how often has this happened?
Once (2 replies)3 or 4 times
Not nurse bank’s fault – wards have asked me to cover ward clerk and portering duties!
There is always some learning as every area is different
Q7. Would you be happy to be allocated a bank shift but not assigned to a clinical area until the start of that shift?
No. of replies / PercentDefinitely yes / 22 / 6.1%
Probably yes / 48 / 13.4%
Don’t know / Unsure / 88 / 24.5%
Probably no / 93 / 25.9%
Definitely no / 108 / 30.1%
Total / 359 / 100.0%
Table 9
Comments
Free-text responses to this question (n=35) have been categorised to develop themes as detailed in Table 10
Please note: many responses contained multiple comments
Comments in full – Appendix 1
Main themes:
No. of replies / Percent / 35Prefer to choose / be prepared for area of work / 17 / 48.6%
Not competent / confident to work in all other wards / areas / 7 / 20.0%
Dependent on having relevant skills / competencies for area of work / 5 / 14.3%
Some wards are unsupportive towards bank staff / 5 / 14.3%
Table 10
Direct examples of categorised free text responses:
“I like to know where I am going so I can think about that area’s specialties and the likely needs of the patients on that ward”
“Some areas I am not confident in working in, such as surgical and orthopaedics. Last time I was there I ended up having to move people onto commodes and bedpans and was unsure about the rolling etc. I would be happy to be allocated a ward on turning up but only within medical”
“You need to be competent to work in that area. Clinical areas do not always support bank staff”
“How would this work with the NMC Code? For example, I have never worked on the inpatient wards. My career has been theatre based. If I was assigned to a ward, I would not be providing quality care for my patients as I would not know what I was doing. I would not be abiding by the NMC Code. I would not expect a Bank ward nurse to come and work in the Theatre Department”
“In some wards I don’t feel welcome or like I’m part of the team and therefore I would choose not to work there. I like being able to pick the ward and know where I am going before I start my shift”
“I like to know where I’m working in advance so I can prepare myself for each ward’s challenges”
“There are some wards where I definitely would not want to work – either for personal reasons or where bank staff are treated badly. I would withdraw from the Nurse Bank should this change occur”
Q8. What is your general impression of the organisation of the Nurse Bank?
The free-text responses to this question (n=261) have been categorised to develop themes as detailed in the following tables.
Around 90% of comments were categorised as positive. A relatively small number were categorised as relating to concerns (under 25%) and suggestions for improving the Nurse Bank (6%) - Tables 11, 12 & 13.
Please note: many of the individual responses contained multiple comments
Comments in full – Appendix 2
Main themes in positively categorised comments
No. of replies / Percent /261Service provided is good / very good / excellent / 110 / 42.1%
Organisation of Nurse Bank is fine / ok / there are no problems / 42 / 16.1%
Nurse Bank is efficient / well organised / 37 / 14.2%
Bank staff are helpful / efficient / professional / 33 / 12.6%
Good source of support and advice, eg mandatory training / annual leave / 4 / 1.5%
Works well with home / work situation / 4 / 1.5%
Table 11
Direct examples of positively categorised comments:
“I think it is well organised. The staff who answer the phone on the Nurse Bank are quick and efficient”
“Great service, well run, very professional team who deal with all my calls and are knowledgeable, and always polite and helpful”
“I think it is very efficient. Staff are very helpful and professional”
“Very good. Have always found staff receptive, friendly and in general offer good advice”
Main themes in comments categorised as concerns
No. of replies / Percent/261Poorly organised / system could be improved / 11 / 4.2%
Starting process is lengthy / should be better organised / 9 / 3.4%
Do not always receive texts for available shifts / 6 / 2.3%
Issues with pay / payroll – late payment, non payment of shifts, difficult to check pay / 5 / 1.9%
Shifts not always covered / 4 / 1.5%
Receive duplicate texts / 3 / 1.1%
Wards can fill shifts more quickly via knowledge of available shifts and contacts with own bank staff / 3 / 1.1%
Table 12
Direct examples of comments categorised as concerns:
“Inconsistent. Do not always receive texts about available shifts, often find my colleagues receive texts but I don’t”
“We need a quicker starting process for new staff. It takes too long to start new people”
“Appears slightly disorganised. Texts often unclear and difficult to read”
“Usually cannot fill any of the shifts. Would be good if they contacted the ward to let them know a shift has been covered”
Main themes in comments categorised as suggestions
No. of replies / Percent/261Online service for viewing and booking available shifts / 3 / 1.1%
Support from bank for professional development / training / 3 / 1.1%
Table 13
Direct examples of comments categorised as suggestions:
“Very good but a point of contact or person for support and training would be good when I have a query”
“I think the bank is good and they do a fantastic job but I think it could move to an online service and individuals could select their shifts that way ... “
“I think it would be better if we could book and check shifts on internet”
“The only thing I’m not clear about is who we go to as a reviewer for meeting our Standards of Care and our in-service training”
Q9. Are you aware that the bank management system is to be upgraded in spring 2017?
No. of replies / PercentYes / 29 / 8.1%
No / 330 / 91.9%
Total / 359 / 100.0%
Table 14
Q10. Are you aware of the various policies and procedures relating to the staff bank that are available on the NHS Highland Intranet site?
No. of replies / PercentYes, to a great extent / 45 / 12.5%
Yes, to some extent / 216 / 60.2%
Not really / Not at all / 84 / 23.4%
Unsure / 14 / 3.9%
Total / 359 / 100.0%
Table 15
Q11. Please add any other comments
The free text responses to this question (n=45) have been categorised to develop themes as detailed in the following table
Please note: many replies contained multiple comments
Comments in full – Appendix 3
Main themes in categorised free text comments:
No. of replies / Percent / 45No access to intranet / helpful to be able to access policies etc independent from intranet / 6 / 13.3%
Bank staff are helpful / efficient / professional / 5 / 11.1%
Bank staff are disadvantaged as regards training, T&Cs
(eg parental leave) / 3 / 6.7%
Good service / very satisfied / works well / 3 / 6.7%
Poorly organised/ system could be improved / 3 / 6.7%
Table 16
Direct examples of categorised free text comments:
“As a healthcare support worker I am not always at the hospital to access the intranet so cannot read the information at home from my computer. It would be great to have that information away from the busy ward I work in”
“I enjoy my work on the bank but feel there are some serious gaps that need to be filled to make it perfect. Overall my experience is still positive. It should be made easier to book shifts in advance”
“I almost never have time to access intranet and therefore feel disadvantaged and know I will not always be as up to date as I would like to be”
“I have always found the nurse bank team to be very patient and extremely helpful”
“Maybe the bank should look into the parental holidays that the contracted staff have ... “
“I am very happy with the shifts I get allocated and am very thankful for the opportunity to be able to help where I can and to be able to get extra work when I need it”
Q12. Which roles apply to you when you work on the bank?
No. of replies / Percent/341Healthcare Support Worker / 136 / 39.9%
Registered Nurse / 167 / 49.0%
Care at Home Worker / 35 / 10.3%
Other / 13 / 3.8%
Table 13
Multiple replies – percentages will not add up to 100
Other:
Registered Midwife / Heath Care Assistant / Social Care Worker / Nursing Auxiliary / Nurse Assistant R/A / Rehabilitation Assistant / Training role / Mental Health / UCP / Out of Hours CPN / Smoking Cessation Nurse
Q13. Do you have ready access to ... ?
No. of replies / Percent/341Text messages / 298 / 87.4%
Internet / 285 / 83.6%
NHS email / 220 / 64.5%
Intranet / 178 / 52.2%
Table 14
Multiple replies – percentages will not add up to 100
Q14. If you access the Intranet, how easy is it to find the information you need?
No. of replies / PercentVery easy / 39 / 14.9%
Easy / 90 / 34.5%
Neutral / 75 / 28.7%
Difficult / 23 / 8.8%
Very difficult / 18 / 6.9%
Unsure / 16 / 6.1%
Total / 261 / 100.0%
Table 15
Respondents who do not access the Intranet (n=70) have been excluded
Q15. In general how do you rate the quality of the information in the staff bank section?
No. of replies / Percent/291Very good / 31 / 12.8%
Good / 130 / 53.5%
Neutral / 53 / 21.8%
Poor / 11 / 4.5%
Very poor / 3 / 1.2%
Not sure / 15 / 6.2%
Total / 243 / 100.0%
Table 16
Respondents who have never access the information (n=97) have been excluded
Q16. Do you automatically update the Staff Bank when you complete statutory/mandatory training?
No. of replies / PercentAlways / 78 / 23.1%
Sometimes / 97 / 28.7%
Seldom / 71 / 21.0%
Never / 92 / 27.2%
Total / 338 / 100.0%
Table 17
Appendix 1
Q7 Would you be happy to be allocated a bank shift but not assigned to a clinical area until the start of that shift?
Comments
If all training updated it would be okI also work with agency where some hospitals tried this ... not successful and very off putting for staff...... better to choose where you work
Only worked in theatre so not competent or confident to work on wards. Would as a HCA only
I like to know where I'm working
In some wards I don't feel welcome or like I'm a part of the team and therefore I would choose not to work there. I like being able to pick the ward and know where I am going before I start my shift
There are some wards that I would not go back to and that's why I like to know where I would work
Not enough knowledge of area would worry me
Does that mean go to hospital but not know where you are going until you arrive? I would deffo want to know what I am doing
As long as had adequate skills
You need to competent to work in that area. Clinical areas do not always support bank staff.
How would this work with the NMC Code? For example, I have never worked on the inpatient wards. My career has been theatre based. If I was assigned to a ward, I would not be providing quality care for my patients as I would not know what I was doing. I would not be abiding by the NMC Code. I would not expect a Bank ward nurse to come and work in the Theatre Department.
Like to know where I will be
That depends on your knowledge of the specialty. Not sure
Would be best to cover the ward in most clinical need of staffing. This is a great idea, should have been done long ago!
I like to know where I will be working!
As long as I knew in advance the start and end of the shift, eg not want to be booked thinking I was working 07.15-19.45 to then be allocated a ward that then worked from 08.00-20.30
I always like to know where I am going before I go on shift
Not experienced for working on an acute ward / setting
Some wards treat bank staff in a hostile manner, therefore I like to choose which ward / area I would like to work on
I like to know where I'm working in advance as I can prepare myself for each ward’s challenges
There are some wards where I definitely would not want to work - either for personal reasons or where Bank Staff are treated badly. I would withdraw from the Nurse Bank should this change occur
I like to be prepared for my shifts, I like to know I will have another member of staff to show me the ropes if I am unsure of the ward / area
I like to know where I'm working as I'm not comfortable in all wards or clinics
There are some areas I would not wish to work in
Provided that is ok with clinical area
Some wards not very nice to staff and you can feel very vulnerable
Appendix 2