The impact of trust status on health care workers

Reports the findings of a study which was undertaken to examine the effects of radical organizational changes, the move towards NHS trust status, on the health and wellbeing of health care workers within a large district hospital and community service. A prospective longitudinal design was adopted incorporating pre- and post-trust measures. A shortened version of the Occupational Stress Indicator (OSI) was supplemented by questions specific to the health care sector. The findings suggest that the transition towards trust status has not resulted in negative outcomes for the organization as a whole, as measured by levels of sickness absence. However, certain employees may be particularly vulnerable during the early stages of organizational change.