NHS England’s March 2026 Integrated Performance Report shows the NHS Staff Survey engagement theme score fell to 6.75 out of 10 in 2025. 

The report states that staff engagement has fallen since 2020 and that the latest National Quarterly Pulse Survey engagement score was the lowest since that survey was introduced. 

Key Developments

NHS England reported that the NHS Staff Survey engagement theme score was 6.75 out of 10 in 2025, down from 6.85 in 2024. The report states that staff engagement scores have shown a significant reduction since 2020, when the score was 7.05.  

The engagement score is made up of three sub-themes: advocacy, involvement and motivation. NHS England reported that the national average staff advocacy score was 6.64 out of 10 in 2025, down from 6.77 in 2024.  

The latest National Quarterly Pulse Survey engagement score was 6.46 in Q4 2025/26, the same as Q2 2025/26. NHS England described this as the lowest score since the National Quarterly Pulse Survey was introduced in Q1 2022/23.  

The report also recorded a fall in the NHS Staff Survey “We are always learning” theme score, which covers staff experience of appraisal, development and organisational learning culture. The score fell from 5.67 in 2024 to 5.63 in 2025.  

NHS England stated that trusts have access to their 2025 NHS Staff Survey results and that national data was published on 12 March 2026. It also stated that Quarterly Pulse Survey data is being analysed to identify trends and priority areas.  

Why It Matters

The staff engagement data forms part of NHS England’s wider People and Workforce metrics in the March 2026 Integrated Performance Report. The report states that a 1% increase in the engagement theme score generally equates to a 1–1.5% increase in productivity, linking engagement to wider workforce and delivery performance.  

The March report also shows that sickness absence remained slightly higher year on year. The national sickness absence rate for NHS hospital and community health services staff was 5.61% in November 2025, compared with 5.43% in November 2024.  

NHS England set out several planned or ongoing actions, including development of NHS Staff Standards, Staff Treatment Hub implementation, a national Supporting Health and Improving Attendance Policy Framework expected in Q1 2026/27, and resources to support improvement across the NHS People Promise.  

The figures indicate that staff engagement, advocacy, learning culture and sickness absence remain active workforce issues within NHS England’s national performance reporting. 

Source References

• NHS England, Integrated Performance Report, March 2026. 
• NHS England, Meeting of the Board of NHS England – agenda, 26 March 2026.