NHS England has reported that the NHS Staff Survey engagement score fell to 6.75 in 2025.

The figure was published in NHS England’s June 2026 Integrated Performance Report, included in the public Board papers for the 4 June 2026 meeting.

Key Developments

The NHS Staff Survey engagement score was reported at 6.75 in 2025.

This was down from 6.85 in 2024 and from 7.05 in 2020.

NHS England said the 2025 score was the lowest in the previous five years.

The Integrated Performance Report states that staff engagement is regarded as a key driver of performance and productivity.

NHS England reported that a 1% increase in staff engagement is associated with a 1% to 1.5% increase in productivity.

The report also highlighted wider workforce indicators. The “we are always learning” sub-score was 5.63 in 2025, unchanged from the previous year and below the 2020 score of 5.86.

The raising-concerns sub-score also fell, with NHS England reporting a score of 6.37 in 2025, compared with 6.45 in 2024.

Sickness absence was reported at 5.74% in January 2026, down from 5.91% in December 2025 but above the January 2025 position of 5.71%.

The GP leaver rate was reported at 6.90% in March 2026, compared with 6.15% in March 2025.

NHS England said its actions include a national staff engagement event, focus on retention, development of the 10 Year Workforce Plan and work to support appraisal, learning and staff wellbeing.

Why It Matters

The fall in staff engagement is an important workforce signal for NHS providers, integrated care boards and system leaders.

Staff engagement is relevant to retention, productivity, patient experience and operational delivery. NHS England’s report links engagement directly to organisational performance, stating that even small improvements in engagement can be associated with productivity gains.

The decline also comes alongside other workforce pressures, including sickness absence, concerns about learning and development, and weakening confidence in raising concerns.

The raising-concerns score is particularly relevant to patient safety and clinical governance. Lower confidence in raising concerns may affect how quickly safety issues are identified, escalated and acted upon.

The workforce position provides important context for NHS England’s wider delivery agenda, including elective recovery, productivity improvement, financial control and quality assurance.

The June 2026 Board papers indicate that workforce resilience remains a central delivery issue, not only a staffing issue.

Source Reference

• NHS England: Integrated Performance Report, June 2026.