Staff Experience Bulletin |
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9 December 2025
Dear
Welcome to the latest edition of our Staff Experience Bulletin.
I can’t quite believe we are now in December but the Christmas lights on houses and shops are a shining reminder. I just want to say a huge thank you to those of you who joined us for our online conference on 18 November. We heard from expert and inspirational speakers on how to implement change in challenging times, they shared good practice across a range of topics including the Ten-Year Health Plan, sustaining excellent staff experience, and as one of our speakers described, putting the human back into flexible working. It was a great reminder about continuing to focus on what matters most to people, most of the time, and bringing hope and agency.
A reminder the virtual conference platform is accessible until 17 December.
I want to share exciting news about a project we will deliver in the new year. Working in partnership with NHS England our flexible working toolkits for individuals and line managers are being updated and digitised. The new toolkits will be launched in February 2026 and we will host a webinar soon after to introduce the toolkits and talk all things flex. Look out for more information in the new year. As we continue to work in challenging times, thank you for everything you are doing to support and improve the experience of our staff.
I wish you well for the festive season.
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Jennifer Gardner Assistant Director |
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Our newly refreshed toolkit helps NHS managers to take a proactive, compassionate approach to managing sickness absence. Including guidance on early intervention, fostering psychologically safe workplaces, and tools and advice to help managers support staff wellbeing and reduce sickness absence. |
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Disability History Month 2025 |
Find out how you can support disabled staff in the workplace by accessing key facts, figures and a suite of resources to help you support your disabled colleagues.
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Supporting staff experiencing domestic abuse |
10 December marks the first ever NHS Domestic Abuse Awareness Day. Learn how to support affected staff using our guidance on creating supportive policies, recognising signs of abuse and providing appropriate resources. |
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Happier staff, healthier patients: the benefits of flexible working |
A new case study from Bridgewater Community Healthcare Foundation Trust shares how their Making Flexible Work campaign has made a positive impact for both staff and patients.
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Building on success in staff engagement |
Learn how South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust has worked to build upon and develop its staff engagement communication routes, to offer a great staff experience.
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Boosting wellbeing and attendance in partnership |
This new case study from the Social Partnership Forum details an award-winning project from colleagues in the North West, where employers worked with trade unions to co-create a new wellbeing and attendance management policy. |
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ConfedExpo10-11 June 2026 |
Registration is now open for NHS ConfedExpo 2026. Join us on 10-11 June 2026 at Manchester Central for the UK’s leading health and care conference. This year’s programme will focus on delivering the 10 Year Health Plan, showcasing bold ideas, and celebrating excellence across health and care. |
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Health and wellbeing network conversation |
Join our monthly network conversation to connect with colleagues, share your thoughts and hear what other NHS organisations are doing to support workforce health and wellbeing. Our next conversation takes place on 17 December and will discuss the Ten-Year Health Plan and its impact on NHS staff experience.
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Staff engagement share and learn |
We host a quarterly online staff engagement share and learn session for staff engagement leads. Our next session will be around the time of the NHS Staff Survey publication in Spring 2026. If you are a staff engagement lead for your organisation and would like to join these sessions, please get in touch and we will add you to the mailing list. |
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Addressing bullying in healthcare |
This guidance from the NHS Staff Council's Health, Safety, and Wellbeing Partnership Group provides resources and strategies to create respectful workplaces and address workplace bullying, supporting staff wellbeing and patient outcomes. |
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Managing organisational change with compassion |
Informed by our engagement with workforce leaders across providers and integrated care boards, we have collated resources and tips to support leaders managing organisational change and help strengthen local employment practice. |
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Partial retirement employment guidance |
This guidance is designed to support you to develop your approach to partial retirement to support staff retention, wellbeing and work-life balance while helping to meet your workforce priorities. |
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Medium Term Planning Framework |
This framework from NHS England marks the beginning of a new way of working in the NHS. It provides local leadership teams and boards with the environment and headroom to fix fundamental problems, while improving patient care. |
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Leading for improved staff experience |
Listen to our staff engagement podcast, highlighting the importance of continuous improvement, listening to staff feedback, and addressing inequalities in the workplace. |
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Renewed women's health strategy |
The government has announced plans to renew the Women’s Health Strategy, aiming to improve healthcare access and address longstanding inequalities for women across England. Key initiatives include the inclusion of menopause questions in the NHS Health Check and a commitment to reduce gynaecology waiting lists. |
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NHS Standard Contract consultation |
NHS England has launched a consultation on the NHS Standard Contract. The consultation asks for views from stakeholders on changes proposed to the Contract for 2026/27. The closing date for responses is 16 December 2025. |
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Men's Health Strategy launched |
The government has launched a new strategy to improve men’s mental and physical health and reduce inequalities. The strategy includes actions required to improve the health and wellbeing of all men and boys in England. |
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NHS Employers, part of the NHS Confederation, is the employers’ organisation for the NHS in England. Our registered office is NHS Employers, 2 The Calls, Leeds, LS2 7JU. |
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