'Concerning reading' | NHS staff report increasing pressure on staffing levels, wellbeing & engagement

A new survey of more than 760,000 NHS staff shows worsening workforce experiences across several areas, including staffing levels, wellbeing, and engagement.

The 2025 NHS Staff Survey, which was coordinated by the independent charity Picker on behalf of NHS England, provides a comprehensive overview of staff experiences at work, with particular focus on delivery of the NHS England People Promise. The survey included all directly employed staff in secondary and tertiary care organisations, ranging from consultants to care assistants and from porters to paramedics.

Staffing levels and burnout

The proportion of staff agreeing that there are enough staff at their organisation to do their job properly decreased by one percentage point, from 34% in 2024 to 33% in 2025 – although this remains significantly higher than the 27% recorded in 2021. Agreement with this question dropped across all trust types except Ambulance Trusts, whose results continued an upward trend: almost doubling from 20% in 2021 to 39% in 2025.

Results around burnout have improved since the pandemic, with notable falls in 2023 and largely static results in 2024. This year, there were some indications that experiences have worsened, with small increases in most measures. For example, 31% of staff felt burnt out because of their work (up from 30% in 2024, but still down from 35% in 2021), while 37% of staff said their work frustrates them (up from 35% in 2024, but still down from 40% in 2021)