Dear Colleagues,
Thank you to the 8,122 employees and physicians who participated in the Global Workforce Survey (GWS), which gathered feedback from June to August 2025. With over 8,000 responses, that meant we had a 24.5 per cent response rate.
Today we are releasing an executive summary of the results from the GWS. This summary provides a high-level view of how our teams experience both our work-life quality and patient safety culture together, helping us identify where to focus efforts to enhance staff well-being, patient care and organizational success.
The GWS examines seven key dimensions:
- Work Team – collaboration, relationships, mutual respect and support among colleagues.
- People-Centred Care – how staff uphold compassion, inclusivity, respect and dignity with patients and families, involving them in their care.
- Job Characteristics – role clarity, training and supports, and feeling empowered and valued.
- Patient Safety – perceptions of safety culture, reporting and learning from patient safety incidents.
- Leadership – organizational vision in fostering a high-quality workplace, communication and trust in senior leadership.
- Immediate Supervisor – how effectively direct supervision support staff through feedback, recognition and openness to suggestions.
- Well-Being & Engagement – job fulfillment, psychological safety, health and stress levels, and whether they feel connected and committed to their organization.
Executive Summary Overview
The results highlight both areas of strength and opportunities for improvement across Nova Scotia Health:
- The Work Team dimension scored highest (83.5%), showing strong collaboration and support among colleagues.
- The People-Centred Care dimension was also highly rated, with the highest-scoring response (94% positive) to the question - “Patients are treated with respect and dignity”.
- The Well-Being & Engagement dimension received an overall rating of 62.7%, indicating important opportunities to strengthen. While active work in this area is already underway, we will need to continue building on these efforts.
These results allow us to better understand the strengths and challenges within our work life and patient safety culture. Teamwork and people-centered care are organizational strengths, while leadership, well-being and engagement remain priorities for action and support.
Thanks to the many supports and learning opportunities introduced in recent years, your feedback is making a real difference, and we’re continuing to build on that progress together.
Next Steps
The information gathered through the GWS will guide our continued efforts to foster a healthy, safe, inclusive and high-performing workplace.
A variety of supports are being coordinated to assist leaders and teams in responding to survey results. These include dimension summaries, action resources, and data review tools. An FAQ is available here. Questions can be directed to accreditation@nshealth.ca.
Thank you to everyone who participated in the survey. Your feedback is essential as we work together to strengthen our culture and continue delivering exceptional care to the patients and communities we serve.
Sincerely,
Dr. Nicole Boutilier, Executive Vice-President, Medicine and Clinical Operations
Anna Marenick, Vice President, People, Culture and Belonging
