NHS Employers responds to the University of Bath report on NHS staff retention

Responding to the latest report by the University of Bath on NHS staff retention, Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers, part of the NHS Confederation, said:

“The NHS relies on its incredibly talented staff to deliver for their patients’ and communities day in and day out. This latest research tallies with our understanding of the stress and burnout reported by staff who have worked through a pandemic and are still facing incessant demand for care. Thankfully the most recent survey of NHS staff shows overall improvement in staff experience, though with BME staff still lagging behind. We have also seen improvements in levels of retention across the NHS, as organisations focus on the experience of their people.  

“Research like this which includes insights from people is always helpful to boost the evidence base on how future policy and strategy decisions can learn from the past and in this case, inform the work on retention going forward. We agree that the staff survey is a helpful tool for employers, and that there is value in more routine feedback to inform local action. We know, for example, that employers use different methods to get a 'pulse check' from their teams, and the wellbeing conversations with managers provide good opportunities to understand any issues and address them before they escalate. 

“Every staff member retained helps achieve the vision of delivering well-staffed high-quality services. Organisational and team culture, health and wellbeing, staff engagement and flexible working all have a direct impact. NHS Employers already provide support to employers in each of these areas and we will continue to review our programmes and resources to ensure they more effectively and clearly support the continued implementation of the NHS People Promise and the Long Term Workforce Plan, published last year.”