THE chief nurse at Basingstoke hospital has made a key contribution to a national report which focuses on the impact of staff morale on patient care.

Donna Green, who is also chief operating officer and deputy chief executive at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Basingstoke, Winchester and Andover hospitals, was among the experts giving advice on a report published by the Point Of Care Foundation.

The report – Staff Care: How to engage staff in the NHS and why it matters – shows that the way healthcare staff feel about their work has a direct impact on the quality of patient care as well as on an organisation’s efficiency and financial performance.

The report highlights that caring about staff is key to developing a caring and compassionate health service and argues that high-quality care depends on managing staff well.

It concludes that listening to staff, developing them and paying attention to the physical and emotional consequences of caring for patients can all have a positive impact on the way patients are care for.

Mrs Green said: “I was pleased to be asked to be part of this study, and to be able to share the work that we do at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to value, recognise, develop and support our staff so that they can provide the best possible care for our patients.

“We are proud of the hard work of our staff. We haven’t got everything right yet but we aim to provide a safe environment to allow staff to feel they can raise concerns and make suggestions for improvement.”