NHS staff retention schemes in the North West and across the country have helped cut the number of workers leaving the health service to one of its lowest levels in over a decade.

In the North West, one in 10 (10%) hospital and community healthcare workers left the NHS in the 12 months up to September 2024 – nearly 2,046 fewer than in the same period up to September 2022 when one in eight (11.8%) left the health service.

These figures are similar to those across England – the proportion is the lowest since the pandemic, when the leavers rate nationally fell to 9.2%, and the second lowest since 2010 when the rate was at 10.0%.

The fall in the number of leavers has been supported by an initial two-year programme aimed at finding new ways to improve retention in the NHS.

A new review published yesterday (Monday 3 March) of the NHS’s People Promise staff retention initiative found that the number of leavers fell by an average of 11.8% for organisations involved in the pilot – with those implementing more interventions improving their leaver rates the most.

The programme, which has been led by NHS England since April 2022, supported 23 NHS organisations and has since been expanded to support a further 116 organisations – including more mental health and community trusts, as well as primary care and ambulance services.

Around 4,500 staff members were supported to stay in the health service thanks to the programme. The report found that efficient use of e-rostering, supporting flexible working and flexible retirement, and local listening sessions for staff had the biggest impact on improvements to leaver rates.

Chris Cutts, Director of Workforce Training and Education at NHS England North West, said: “We’re very proud of the NHS organisations in the North West that have done a huge amount to improve the working environment for staff and we’re now seeing the impact – with nearly 2,046 fewer staff leaving the health service in the last year. It’s great to see this initiative reaping in the results to help keep thousands of staff in the workforce. There’s still a lot to be done and we will carry on to ensure people receive the best care possible.”

Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (now University Hospitals of Liverpool Group) piloted team-based rostering at part of the retention programme – allowing staff to have more control over the pattern of a working week.

Staffing levels and skill mix required hour-by-hour throughout the working day were agreed in advance and staff were then able to go online to request their shifts.

The pilot resulted in staff and teams feeling they had more control over their working life, which allowed them to improve their travel to work and family time.

Staff members said they felt less stressed, more informed and were able to work around home commitments. This led to lower-than-average sickness levels and lower staff turnover across the wards it was implemented on.

Phoebe, a nurse at Liverpool University Hospitals (now University Hospitals of Liverpool Group), said: “I do request shifts because I’m in university, so it helps a lot with balancing – I can be in university and not be under pressure with coming into work or having the shift. I get enough time to rest and do what I need to do at home as well.

Andrew, a nurse, said: “My wife and I have two kids, and we work at the same hospital so it’s very, very helpful for us to request the days we can work so that we don’t work at the same time and we can look out for our children.”

Shaun, a nurse said: “It works really well for me with my family and friends. If I want to spend some time with them, I can plan in advance and use the Allocate Me app to get time off around that period.

“Every month, at least once a month, I have a family event that always takes place on the same day. If I was working anywhere else, I’d be worried whether or not I could get that time off because I know it would be a lot to ask.

“But with this ward, I know I can always get that time off. I can request it months prior, making sure I do get the time off around that period.”

NHS England has published its annual guidance for the NHS for the next financial year which will focus on delivering faster treatment for hundreds of thousands of patients.

All local NHS organisations are expected to reduce their reliance on temporary staff and deliver at least a 30% reduction in agency spending (based on current spending), equivalent to around £650 million to invest in the frontline.