Job satisfaction and morale of nurses in NHS trusts

In April 1991 the Daphne Heald Research Unit at the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) started a three-year research project to assess the job satisfaction of nurses working in the community. This took place against a backdrop of considerable change in the organisation and funding of community health care. Initially four NHS Trusts participated, one withdrew after the first year. A measure of job satisfaction was administered to the entire community nursing and practice nursing workforce in each area. The response rate varied from 74% (year 1) to 54% (year 2). Differences in satisfaction were detected between trusts, different groups of nurse and over time. Some nurses added comments to their questionnaire, voicing concerns over uncertainty, paperwork and a perceived change in ethos within their organisations. Trust managers interviewed as part of the study spoke of their strategies for local implementation of the national changes.