iMatter Health & Social Care Staff Experience Survey 2025

Staff Governance Standard – Strand Scores

Staff Governance is a key component of the NHSScotland governance framework used to monitor and manage the performance of NHS Scotland organisations. Staff Governance considers both how effectively staff are managed and how staff feel they are managed. The standard was underpinned in legislation in 2004 and its component strands as shown below continue to be monitored, both locally and nationally.

Staff Governance Standard – Scores

The strands of the Staff Governance Standard were mapped against the 20 components forming part of the Staff Experience Framework (see Appendix 8). The 28 questions were then mapped to the 20 components of the Staff Governance Standard to provide a measure of Employee Engagement (see Appendix 9).

To view this table in its original format please see the PDF.

The only Staff Governance Standard Strand to change from 2024 to 2025 is ‘Treated fairly & consistently, with dignity & respect, in an environment where diversity is valued’, which has declined by 1 pt, returning to the 2022 score of 78.

Board Scores

There are considerable differences across the Boards particularly for ‘Appropriately trained and developed’ and ‘Involved in decisions’.

To view this table in its original format please see the PDF.

Strand scores for each Board for 2025 and movement from 2024 are included in the iMatter 2025 Data file^[15].

A Team Story from NHS Grampian, demonstrates actions being taken to recognise and understand individuals in order that they can be treated fairly and respectfully:

NHS Grampian, Aberdeen City Health & Social Care Mental Health & Learning Disabilities Team

“The pandemic really shifted us to working virtually, mostly on Microsoft Teams. Because of that, iMatter helped us see that we felt pretty disconnected, and we really wanted to change that. So, during our team meeting to discuss the iMatter report, we decided our action would be to build awareness of everyone's different styles and strengths within the team.

We actually had someone come in and use the Jigsaw Personality tool with us. Now, we each have a much greater awareness of each other's strengths, and we feel much better equipped to support one another. Following that, we even started holding monthly in-person, face-to-face meetings, which we also find incredibly helpful for supporting each other and sharing information.”

A Team Story from The State Hospital highlighted 3 areas for development actions, addressing challenges that they, and many other teams face around communications, role clarity and wellbeing:

The State Hospital, AHP Team, Nursing, AHP & Operations

“Improving Communication & Feedback: Feed-back mechanisms are now being integrated into Hub meetings and supervision agendas. The team is actively scoping what “communication that matters” looks like for them, ensuring that every voice is heard and valued.

Clarifying Role Remits: Professional Leads are working to define their roles more clearly within the team. Peer support meetings for Band 5 and 6 staff are being explored to foster mentorship and shared learning.

Prioritising Health & Wellbeing: Monthly AHP lunches and the initiatives led by the “Wellbeing Warriors” continue to promote a culture of care. These informal gatherings and wellbeing champions help sustain morale and connection across disciplines.

Wellbeing Warriors: The AHP “Wellbeing Warriors” launched a quality improvement initiative after recognising wellbeing as a key shared value. Although the initial project has concluded, ongoing efforts continue through regular check-ins, structured feedback within AHP frameworks, and the use of ‘appreciation cups’ to foster a culture of recognition and support.”