How the NHS Is Improving the Wellbeing of 1.5m Staff Who Care for the English Population

Insights From  Dr Shriti Pattani, National Occupational Health and Wellbeing Clinical Expert at NHS England

The biggest drivers of staff wellbeing often cost almost nothing: good management, a strong culture and a sense of belonging. That was the clear message from Dr Shriti Pattani on day two of the Summit.

Shriti is a national occupational health and wellbeing clinical expert and an experienced non-executive director. She has worked in the NHS for nearly 35 years, alongside government and corporate roles. She explained how the NHS is shifting its approach to the wellbeing of its 1.5 million staff, and what employers of every size can learn from it.

From sickness absence to prevention

The biggest policy driver right now, Shriti said, is the Keep Britain Working review led by Sir Charlie Mayfield, which is behind recent plans to overhaul the fit note system.

Its central idea is simple: for most people, most of the time, work is good for our health. The aim is to shift from managing sickness absence to preventing it.

That shift is creating new support, particularly for small and medium-sized businesses, the UK's biggest employers, which often can't afford dedicated health and wellbeing provision. Fit note pilots and schemes such as WorkWell and Connect to Work are all part of it.

Culture, culture, culture

Shriti shared her own experience as a newly qualified junior doctor, working 120-hour weeks from Friday morning to Monday. She's clear those hours weren't good for anyone. But what got her team through was respect, job satisfaction and a real sense of belonging.

"We were a team and we felt supported, and though it was busy and though we were tired, we actually got through it because we did it together," she said.

After years of change, she believes the NHS is coming full circle and recognising that culture is one of the most powerful things it can invest in. In her own organisation of nearly 11,000 staff, the wards with the strongest sense of belonging also have the lowest sickness absence and the best staff survey results.

Managers are central to this. As the saying goes, a manager can have more impact on someone's wellbeing than their doctor. But managers are under pressure from above and below, and they need support too. They don't need to become counsellors, Shriti said, but they do need to spot early signs that someone is struggling and know when to escalate.

What the NHS is doing

The NHS 10 Year Plan includes more on staff wellbeing than any NHS strategy before it. And it's not about yoga classes, Shriti said, but about what really works.

• Staff health and wellbeing hubs: centres of excellence in seven regions that support both managers and staff. Their focus is on tackling the main causes of sickness absence and moving from a reactive approach to a preventive one.
• An occupational health and wellbeing strategy: setting the direction for staff health across the NHS.
• A health and wellbeing framework: a free diagnostic tool, available to any organisation in any industry. It helps leaders assess where they stand across seven areas that affect staff wellbeing, and build their own strategy from there.

Early support matters most. Stress, anxiety and, in areas such as A&E, PTSD are not unusual in the NHS. Helping managers handle difficult situations early can make a real difference to how a colleague copes.

What any employer can do

Not every organisation has NHS-scale budgets. But Shriti's advice works for businesses of any size, especially where money is tight.

Start with your data. What works for one organisation may not work for another. Look at your sickness absence figures, staff surveys and employee feedback, as well as feedback from the people you serve.

Know the common causes. Beyond short-term illnesses such as colds and flu, most sickness absence is musculoskeletal or related to mental health. Most of that is at the milder end: low-level stress, anxiety and depression, where early support can make a big difference.

Tailor support to your sector. In retail, for example, one of the biggest issues is how staff are treated by customers. Training in de-escalation, and access to early support, can stop a difficult shift turning into longer-term anxiety.

Use free resources. Local authorities can arrange free health checks in the workplace. Community services offer help with stopping smoking, alcohol and mental health.

Contact WorkWell. This free, confidential service has employment specialists who advise on health and work. Employers can refer staff, or employees can refer themselves. It can help with fit notes, workplace adjustments, IT support, retraining and even social issues that stop people coming to work.

Shriti's advice for leaders

Asked for one piece of advice, Shriti gave two:

1. Focus on the basics. Good leadership, supporting your managers and building the right culture often cost almost nothing, and all the evidence says they're what works.
2. Let data drive your decisions. And when you design wellbeing services, co-design them with the people who'll use them.

To register your interest for the 2027 Engage Employee Summit click here.