Big drop in nurse vacancies sees awards win for staff at Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Its Workforce Supply team won People Team of the Year, while Funmi Onamusi, Chief People Officer, was named People Leader of the Year at the ceremony in Bristol on Thursday, November 12, 2026.

The awards recognise outstanding achievements in people management across the NHS and wider healthcare sector, and reflect the progress Sussex Partnership has made in becoming an employer of choice.

The Trust said the wins also recognised broader organisational change aimed at improving staff experience and patient outcomes, with its overall vacancy rate falling from 18.2% to 8.7% over the past three years, below its 10% target.

Registered nursing vacancies have reduced from 30.4% to 8.9%, while medical vacancies have fallen from 27% to 17%.

Agency usage across urgent care and community services fell by 81% between April and August 2025, while the number of agency healthcare support workers dropped from 60 to five whole-time equivalent staff within three months.

Other improvements led by the People and Culture division include simplifying appraisal processes in response to staff feedback and launching Operation Spring Clean to improve working environments across Sussex Partnership.

The change programme has been overseen by Ms Onamusi, whose leadership has helped drive improvements in workforce planning, recruitment and colleagues’ experience across the Trust.

Ms Onamusi said: “I’m incredibly proud and honoured to receive this recognition. These awards are very much a reflection of the hard work, commitment and talent of our People and Culture colleagues and the wider teams across Sussex Partnership.

"Over the past few years, we’ve worked hard to transform how we recruit and support our workforce, recognising that creating a positive experience for our staff is fundamental to delivering the best possible care for our patients, families and communities.”

Adele D’Silva, Deputy Director of Workforce Operations at Sussex Partnership, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have won this award. Leading a significant change programme while also reducing vacancy rates and delivering better patient outcomes has been a huge challenge.”

The whole team has risen to this challenge, she said, and it was wonderful to see their hard work recognised.