Identifying positive change within the NHS as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to identify positive change within the NHS as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic by assessing staff views on re-deployment, wellbeing and workplace satisfaction.
DESIGN: An anonymous questionnaire was sent out to medical staff working across four major NHS trusts using SurveyMonkey.
SETTING: We surveyed staff working in NHS trusts across London and the surrounding areas. PARTICIPANTS: We used a randomly selected range of medical, nursing and dental staff across multiple specialties, including those who were redeployed and those who were not. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: We reviewed positive and negative responses to binary questions.Staff surveyed felt a greater sense of workplace camaraderie and fellowship, and generally more appreciated as NHS caregivers than they had prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is clear that the pandemic has been a catalyst for reflection, as a majority of staff (71.43%) felt there was more mental health and wellbeing support accessible in their workplace now than there was a year ago, and 75.63% felt that COVID-19 had influenced their perspective on work-life balance.
CONCLUSION: The first wave of the pandemic engendered positive change, and positive staff attitudes persisted in the face of a second wave due to ascribed support, appreciation, and co-worker camaraderie and fellowship. © Royal College of Physicians 2021. All rights reserved.