Study of staff leaving NHS trusts

Citation

(2002), "Study of staff leaving NHS trusts", International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Vol. 15 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijhcqa.2002.06215aab.012

Study of staff leaving NHS trusts

Study of staff leaving NHS trusts

According to press reports, the NHS is experiencing a staffing crisis. Pay and Workforce Research, a professional pay and human resources research and consultancy organisation, has carried out a pilot study of leavers in six Trusts over a period of six months, to find out how many leavers could have been retained and what could have been done to prevent them leaving. Each leaver was asked to complete a short survey questionnaire. The project collected information from six NHS Trusts from England and Scotland employing in total 25,662 staff, and includes the responses of 37 per cent of the staff leaving during the period. The report includes analysis by the ten main NHS staff groups, areas of work, and male and female leavers, detailing the profiles of leavers, i.e. gender, length of service, years with the Trust, age; the reasons for leaving; the destination on leaving; working relationships with managers; and retaining factors

Nurses and midwives were the highest percentage of leavers in the project. The percentage of nurse leavers at each Trust ranged from 24 per cent to 37 per cent, with an average of 33 per cent for all six Trusts. The next highest percentage was admin and clerical staff accounting for an average of 17 per cent, with a range from 10 per cent to 24 per cent. The top destinations for leavers, in numerical order were:

1. 1.

   other NHS organisation (same profession);

2. 2.

   not working;

3. 3.

   other NHS organisation (other profession);

4. 4.

   retirement;

5. 5.

   healthcare non-NHS (same profession).

The top five reasons for leaving the Trusts were:

1. 1.

   promotion or further experience;

2. 2.

   dissatisfaction (career related);

3. 3.

   end of contract;

4. 4.

   training or education;

5. 5.

   to change shift or work patterns.

The main reasons for healthcare professionals leaving were common across all trusts, but those for administrative and clerical staff, or ancillary staff are very different. This means that different approaches are needed to reduce turnover in different staff groups. The average male leaver was from the scientific, technical and professional staff group, aged between 20 and 24 and with one to five years NHS service. On average they had a good working relationship with their manager, left to work in the same profession but outside the NHS, and left because of pay-related dissatisfaction. The average female leaver was a qualified nurse or midwife, aged between 30 and 39, and with 10-15 years of NHS service. On average they had a poor working relationship with their manager, left to work in the same profession at another NHS organisation, and left for promotion or further experience.

Further information: Copies of the report NHS Leavers Study 2001 (PWR Report No: 1158) are available from Pay and Workforce Research, 30 Victoria Avenue, Harrogate, HG1’5PR, telephone (+44) (0) 1423 720220.