There has been a huge drop in the Department of Health and Social Care staff who feel their “senior leaders have a clear vision for the future of the organisation” – making it the lowest in Whitehall.
Staff survey scores from across national government, published yesterday, show overall staff engagement among DHSC staff was down 5.7 points year-on-year, to the lowest of any department.
Scores on “leadership and change” were particularly bad, and the share who believed that “senior leaders had a clear vision” was down a massive 18.8 points, to 29.5 per cent in 2025.
The DHSC is seeking to make headcount reductions, with a voluntary redundancy programme started last year, although so far there have not been many departures. It is due to restructure as it takes on functions and staff from NHS England next year, which was announced last spring.
There has also been leadership upheaval, with a new permanent secretary, Samantha Jones, joining last summer, and the DHSC in the process of merging its top team with NHSE’s. Several senior posts are filled in an interim capacity.
Last year also saw the government set out its 10-Year Health Plan vision, a year after it came to power.
The employee engagement index is a weighted average of five questions, covering staff pride in the organisation, whether they would recommend it as a place to work, personal attachment, and whether they feel inspired and motivated.
The DHSC’s worst section scores were on “leadership and managing change”, where it was the lowest scoring department, and 13.3 points below the civil service median (including non-departmental agencies).
There have been some changes to the survey from 2024, but the question on vision for the future remained the same. The 2025 survey was carried out in September-October last year.
On “organisational objectives and purpose”, the DHSC was second-last behind the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. This section measures whether staff understand their department’s objectives, how their work contributes to the aims, and if they believe there is a clear sense of purpose.
The department scored strongest on “my team”, “my manager” and “inclusion and fair treatment” – with the first two in the top third of all organisations.
