A SENSE OF calm pervades the working environment of St Wilfrid's Hospice, where a team of 175 staff looks after the physical and spiritual needs of terminally ill patients and their families. Jobs are stimulating here, staff tell our survey, giving the best score for small not-for-profit organisations, 86% positive. Work is an important part of their lives, say members of the St Wilfrid's Hospice team (also 86%). A typical staff member is a nurse earning £24,554 a year, but the workforce embraces a wide range of skills from administration to catering as well as the caring professions. St Wilfrid's has 14 inpatient beds and a day hospice in Chichester and offers community and bereavement services across Sussex at 12 sites from Arundel, in the east to Emsworth in Hampshire to the west. Staff feel a strong sense of family in their teams (82%, in sixth place). More than three-quarters of the organisation's staff work part-time or reduced hours and shift patterns lend themselves to flexibility. Services are free to patients but the hospice receives only 15% of its running costs from the NHS and relies on donations and the revenue from 11 volunteer-run shops. Employees are proud to work here (90%) and love their jobs (87%, both in third place). www.stwh.co.uk
