MORE than half of the staff who have worked on a Covid-19 ward at the Dudley Group of hospitals felt ill due to work-related stress amid the coronavirus crisis, according to an NHS survey.

The annual NHS Staff Survey 2020 has revealed the toll of the pandemic on staff at trusts across England.

At the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Russells Hall Hospital and the Corbett and Guest Outpatient Centres, almost 54 per cent of staff looking after Covid patients said they had felt unwell as a result of work-related stress in the last 12 months.

While 58.3 per cent of staff who had worked on a Covid ward said they had attended work in the last three months despite not feeling well enough to perform their duties - despite guidance stating people should stay at home and isolate if unwell to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Only 22.4 cent of staff who had cared for Covid patients said they felt the organisation takes positive action on health and well-being, although 52.8 of employees who had worked with Covid patients said they always or often looked forward to going to work.

Just over 25 per cent of staff who had worked on a Covid ward said there were enough staff at the organisation to enable them to do their job properly, while half of those working with Covid patients said they had adequate materials, supplies and equipment to do their job.

Some 2,300 employees (46 per cent of staff) at the Dudley Group gave feedback for the survey, carried out between last September and December, which was the highest figure in the Trust for five years.

The anonymous survey also revealed a quarter of those who had worked on a Covid ward would probably look for another job at another organisation within 12 months, while a third (33.5 per cent) who had been tasked with Covid specific duties said they often thought about leaving the organisation.

Meanwhile, just under a third of staff (31.9) per cent) who had worked with coronavirus patients said they were satisfied with their level of pay when they responded to the survey which was carried out before the Government announced a proposed 1 per cent pay rise for NHS workers.

Responding to the figures - Diane Wake, chief executive at the Dudley Group, said pay rates for staff are set nationally and the Trust is unable to affect this.

She said staffing levels were also an issue across the NHS and said: "The survey shows respondents are happier with staffing levels than at any point in the last five years.

"Our staff retention rates are above average and we have a strategy in place to continue to grow our workforce.

"More than 140 clinical support workers have been recruited since November and we have an active recruitment campaign for many other professions.

"We are pleased staff feel more able to deliver the care they aspire to (up 4.5 per cent) and are more satisfied with the quality of care they give (up 3.5 per cent).

"Eighty-five per cent of staff say the Trust acts fairly with regard to career progression /promotion, regardless of ethnic background, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability or age, which is slightly above the national average."

Nearly half (48.9 per cent) of staff who had worked on a Covid ward, however, said they had experienced discrimination on the basis of their ethnic background.

Ms Wake said in response to that figure: "We are determined that no staff should feel they experience discrimination for any reason. We have welcomed a head of diversity, equality and inclusion to the Trust, and this is an area we will be focusing on moving forward.

"We very much value the contribution of our staff from our diverse communities and want everyone to feel they can reach the very highest levels in their careers with the Trust."

She added that the Dudley Group was among the top 10 Trusts nationally for having seen the most improvement in results and she told the News: "Our ambition remains to be the best place to work, providing the best care for our patients, and we are working hard to build on the improvements seen and recognise those areas we need to focus on."

To view the survey results in detail go to www.nhsstaffsurveyresults.com.