HOSPITAL managers are acting on a staff survey, which highlighted concern about stress levels and personnel shortages.

Staff working for Harrogate Health Care Trust were offered the first survey of its kind, and findings have been considered by the trust's working together group, made up of directors, senior managers and staff representatives.

The trust, based at Harrogate District Hospital, offers NHS services to a wide area around Harrogate, including Ripon, Masham, Pateley Bridge, Knaresborough and Boroughbridge.

One of the key issues in the survey centred on workload and staffing levels.

A feedback report on the exercise in the latest edition of the trust's newsletter said the group had recognised those concerns, particularly in the winter.

The report said: "The increase in nurse staffing numbers over the past few years was reassuring, but clearly the increases were not being felt on some wards.

"Further work on comparative staffing levels was required."

Meanwhile, some staff expressed worries about their lack of influence in decision making, but the working group said that since the survey, a number of joint working groups had been set up on specific issues.

The report showed that a number of staff were worried about stress levels.

In response, a staff counsellor has been appointed, running workshops on managing stress, and how to avoid it, and making staff aware of support in this field.

The group expressed disappointment that the survey showed staff felt poor performance was not addressed well by the trust.