iMatter Health & Social Care Staff Experience Survey 2025

My Team / My Direct Line Manager

Results are aggregated for each question presented under the heading ‘My Team / My Direct Line Manager’.

‘My direct line manager is approachable’ is the highest score (89) and has increased by 1 pt from 2025. ‘I feel involved in decisions relating to my team’ scoring lowest (77). ‘My team works well together’ has declined by 1 pt from last year.

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

94% of staff agree that their line manager is approachable and 92% agree that their direct line manager cares about their health and wellbeing. 92% also agree that they would recommend their team.

18% of staff did not agree that they felt involved in decisions and 16% did not agree that they are confident that performance is well-managed.

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

Boards

Full Board data is included in the iMatter 2025 Data file^[10].

Again, whilst the overall Health and Social Care scores have changed little from 2024, many individual Boards have larger movements in their reported scores.

The largest single improvement is in Healthcare Improvement Scotland where ‘I feel involved in decisions relating to my team’ has increased by 3 pts, going some way to reversing the decline of 5 pts seen from 2024.

All components in MyTeam/My Direct Line Manager have declined in the State Hospital. The biggest decline is 3 pts in ‘I feel involved in decisions relating to my team’, the same drop as seen in the equivalent individual component (I feel involved in decisions relating to my job).

NHS Golden Jubilee has a reported decline in all components, reversing the improvement that was seen in 2024 from 2023. The Board provides insight into some of the current challenges and how they are being addressed:

NHS Golden Jubilee Board Feedback

“Operational pressures: over the past year, some teams have experienced increased service demands and staffing challenges, which may have impacted on the capacity of line managers to engage as consistently in wellbeing conversations.

Managerial transitions: a number of teams have undergone leadership changes, and in some cases, new or interim managers may still be building trust and familiarity with their teams.

Board-wide Culture Programme: The implementation of our culture programme may have contributed to the shift in score, not necessarily as a negative outcome, but as a reflection of increased awareness and expectations. The programme has encouraged open dialogue around values, behaviours, wellbeing and leadership and as a result staff may be more attuned to what good support looks like from a line manager and more confident in identifying where it may be lacking or inconsistent.”

NHS Western Isles has also seen all components in My Team/My Direct Line Manager decline by one or two points.

An illustration of how to address communications within teams is provided through this Team Story from NHS Grampian.

NHS Grampian, Cardiovascular & Clinical Research Team

“The area for improvement for our team that we identified through iMatter was in communication. We are a team of approximately 18 clinical research nurses located in two different NHS Grampian hospital sites, so we wanted to be able to improve how we worked as a team. As a result we introduced a quarterly face to face team meeting, which usually lasts around 2-3 hours.

We have found that this has greatly improved relationships across the team. Colleagues are more supportive of each other, and we are able to share best practice and learn from each other. We reviewed the progress of this action and as a result alternated the days that we held the meeting on so that more staff were able to attend. We have found this to be a really positive action that has made a difference to how we experience our time at work.”

NHS 24 have introduced two flagship programmes to support Leaders across the organisation, with details provided through a team story:

NHS 24 Leadership Team

“These six-month hybrid programmes combine coaching, psychometric profiling, and workshops on emotional intelligence, psychological safety, and strategic leadership. Neurodiversity awareness sessions and protected learning time have further supported inclusive practice.

A key success has been increased Board visibility, with EMT members introducing the programmes and attending final celebration events—reinforcing their strategic importance and alignment with NHS 24’s leadership vision.

Governance is robust, with regular reporting to the Staff Governance Committee. KPIs around attendance, completion, and evaluation are consistently met, with a 91% effectiveness rating and 100% cohort completion.

Leaders report improved confidence, better team conversations, and stronger decision-making. iMatter scores have risen in areas such as “visibility of leaders” and “support for learning and growth.”

A Team Story from NHS 24 focuses on addressing two key challenges:

NHS 24 Transformation, Strategy, Planning and Performance Directorate

“Building Team Togetherness: To build togetherness, we introduced the Birthday Cluster, where each team member celebrates a colleague’s birthday, creating moments of joy and connection. We also launched Team Passports to help us understand each other’s communication styles, and initiated monthly In-Office Days, a social WhatsApp group and activities like a book club and step challenge.

Improving Communication and Feedback: To improve communication and feedback, we created Spotlight Sessions – a space for team members to share work and learn from each other. We’re also shaping a two-way feedback process to foster constructive exchange between colleagues and managers.”

A Team Story from NHS Lanarkshire recognises the need to celebrate successes more often:

NHS Lanarkshire Learning & Organisational Development Team

“This year, we recognised the need to celebrate our successes more often. We also realised that we don’t always know the details of what colleagues are working on, so we agreed to:

• Build in time at team meetings for everyone to share updates
• Highlight and celebrate achievements during these sessions

Progress against our action plan will be reviewed at our six and twelve month meetings.”

Staff Groupings

Local Authority staff score higher than NHSScotland staff on all Line Manager/Team components. The largest difference (3 pts) is in confidence that performance is well managed within the team.

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

Details of scores for each of the individual Staff Groupings within NHSScotland and Local Authority are included in the iMatter 2025 Data file^[11]. Within Local Authority Staff Groupings Older People Services rate lowest on all measures and Strategic Development typically rate highest. Among NHSScotland staff Ambulance Services rate lowest and Senior managers rate highest.