Doctors and nurses at East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the Conquest and Eastbourne DGH, will be asked questions about management, training, job satisfaction and violence in the workplace as part of the sixth national NHS staff survey.

More than 5,000 staff at the trust will soon receive a questionnaire.

New questions have been added to glean more information about things staff say matter most to them, such as whether they feel they are supported to do a good job and whether they have the opportunity to improve the way they work.

Monica Green, the trust's director of human resources, said: "I believe that for us to provide even better care and services we need to understand how our staff feel and to engage them in an ongoing dialogue about their working lives and the services they provide. The survey is critical in helping us to work with all of our staff to achieve that aim.

"I urge all staff receiving a questionnaire to take part in this important national survey. Last year, 39 per cent of employees returned completed questionnaires and this year we are hoping for even more."

The survey is organised by the independent watchdog, the Healthcare Commission, in conjunction with the Staff Survey Advice Centre at Aston University.

Healthcare Commission Chief Executive, Anna Walker, said: "The NHS is one of the largest employers in the world and it's important to know how staff are feeling. It is a basic principle of business that safe and well-supported staff are good for the bottom line. In the case of the NHS, the bottom line is the health of a nation and of individual patients.

"The survey provides valuable information to trusts, enabling them to identify issues confronting their staff and to make improvements to the working environment.

"It also gives us an important national picture, with previous surveys highlighting issues important to staff such as how much violence and harassment they face and whether they are involved in decision-making."

The Healthcare Commission will publish reports for each NHS trust and the overall national findings in March next year.