Line managers in the NHS are said to giving improved support to their staff, according to a survey.

The staff survey polled 165,000 NHS employees across the nation, and found the percentage of staff that were appraised from senior employees, such as those in nurse manager jobs, rose by 77 per cent in the last year.

This demonstrated an increase of eight per cent from 2009.

The average score given by staff to rate support from their immediate superior increased from 3.63 to 3.65, and job satisfaction rose from 3.50 to 3.51.

Dean Royles, director of NHS Employers, spoke to Nursing Times about the news, claiming: "Employers are working hard in partnership with their health unions and staff to continue improving the NHS in these challenging times and this year's NHS Staff Survey shows that these efforts are paying off."

"Employers have worked very hard to create a climate where staff feel confident reporting concerns and it is encouraging that staff find procedures for reporting concerns fairer and more effective."

Mark Preston, associate director of HR for King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, also made a comment: "King's College Hospital values the data collected from the staff survey to support effective action planning in areas highlighted by the survey."

This followed news from OrganizedWisdom.com stating that community nurses are working closer with doctors in order to provide higher quality care.