RECORD lows in morale have been found amongst staff at Northumbria Healthcare, new figures show.

NHS Employers, an organisation representing NHS staff, said frustration among the workforce across England is not surprising given several months of industrial action.

Health think tank The King's Fund said the latest findings from the NHS Staff Survey for England show workers are at "breaking point", and called on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to look after staff as he attempts to bring down waiting lists.

Across the country, the overall morale score – which is a composite score of 13 questions, focusing on stress, work pressure and desires to leave – also fell to its lowest point in the five years.

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Morale was scored at 5.7 out of 10, down from 5.8 last year and a peak of 6.1 in 2020.

Morale among staff at Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust was scored at 6.3 out of 10 in autumn 2022 – down from 6.5 the year before and the lowest since comparable records began in 2018.

In Northumbria Healthcare, 30.8 per cent of staff were happy with their current salaries last year – down from 40 per cent the year before.

A spokesperson for Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust said: “At Northumbria Healthcare, we have always recognised our people as our biggest asset and we would like to thank all of our staff for their continued efforts and hard work to provide the best possible care to our communities, especially over the last three years which have been very challenging.

“In the NHS Staff Survey, it was gratifying to see that our staff have scored us the highest nationally for trusts of our type in four of the nine categories, including morale, and very close to top in three others, based on the best response rate of any organisation.

"However, these results also provide us with information on areas where we can improve, which is so important in helping us be the workplace that our people all deserve.

“NHS pay and conditions are not within our control locally and we hope the Government and trade unions can work together to resolve the current issues as soon as possible.”