Understanding the Impact of NHS Change: The Importance of Listening to Frontline NHS Employees

Recent news about the abolishment of NHS England has sparked a range of reactions. At Akumen we think that it is essential more so now than ever, to focus on the experiences of NHS employees. Listening to frontline staff and understanding their perspectives is crucial in measuring the effect of change on staff morale, culture, and ultimately, patient safety.

Understanding the emotions and experiences of NHS workers is key to navigating this period of reform. Emotions drive behaviours, and by tapping into the feelings of those on the frontline, we can gain valuable insights into the real impact of change.

The Importance of Psychological Safety

Psychological safety is a critical aspect of workplace culture, especially in high-stress environments like the NHS. It refers to the belief that one can speak up, share ideas, and express concerns without fear of negative consequences. Ensuring psychological safety for NHS workers is essential for maintaining staff morale and fostering a culture of openness and trust.

Akumen have developed a solution designed to untangle complexity and provide leaders with the tools they need to make wiser decisions. By transforming narrative feedback into accurate internal perspectives, our software offers a clear window into the heart of your organisation. This empowers leadership teams with deep, evidence-based insights, enabling them to make informed and strategic decisions.

How 'PsySafe' Can Assist During NHS Reform

1. Understanding Your People: Our software analyses narrative feedback to provide a clear understanding of the experiences and emotions of NHS workers. This helps leaders to see the true impact of changes on staff morale and culture.

2. Emotion Analytics: We delve deeper into specific emotions such as frustration, desire, or delight. By identifying these emotions, we can understand the behaviours they drive and the impact on the overall organisational culture.

3. Identifying Themes: Our software identifies themes including health and safety, workplace mental health, emotions, behaviours, and areas for improvement. This comprehensive analysis ensures that no aspect of staff experience is overlooked.

4. Psychological Safety: We focus on 9 'pairs' of psychological safety indicators and barriers, which are crucial for measuring psychological safety. By understanding the concerns and ideas of NHS workers, leaders can begin to create an environment where staff feel safe to express themselves and inform existing speak up and speak out initiatives.

5. GDPR Compliant and Secure: We are certified to the UK Government’s Cyber Essentials Plus and NHS Data Security and Protection standards. All UK data is held in UK data centres, ensuring the highest level of security.

6. Flexible Output: We adapt to whatever output you require, whether it's self-service dashboards, bespoke reports, or integration with your business intelligence platforms.

   
   

Our Approach to Understanding Culture

At Akumen, we have a qualitative-first approach to analysing the experiences of people. We know that the richest insights are held within the words of people, and our software is built around analysing narrative from the ground up. By understanding the 'why' behind employee experiences, we can unlock evidence-based decision-making and enhance employee engagement and retention.

What Our Partners Say About Us

Thanks to Akumen, organisations can now analyse their people’s open text quickly and accurately. No longer needing lengthy surveys, they can uncover topics they were not aware of and learn in great richness and breadth what is on their employees’ minds.

As NHS leaders navigates this period of change, it's more important than ever to listen to frontline staff and understand their experiences. At Akumen, we are here to help you make sense of valuable feedback and ensure that the voices of the heart of our NHS are heard.

Contact Us

To discuss how Akumen can support you during organisational change, please contact Elouise Ross at eross@akumen.co.uk.