Overview
This toolkit is designed to encourage team leaders and managers to consider the overall staff experience, as well as retention levels. Historically, there have been a number of employee retention-related challenges that have resulted in high turnover among certain roles within the overall Greater Manchester system.
We want everybody who works for us to feel proud, part of a community and supported at all levels. Sharing best practice, guidance and case studies are among the measures that can help build a resilient, self-sustainable and highly-skilled workforce.
Greater Manchester People and Culture Strategy 2022-25
The Greater Manchester People and Culture Strategy provides a framework of key priorities for 2022 to 2025. It sets out a shared ambition to support the delivery of the NHS People Plan, the Adult Social Care White Paper, the Integration White Paper and the Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership Strategy 2023-28. Delivery of the strategy will be supported by other targeted strategies and plans such as primary care, community and social care, as well as work at a local and organisation level.
The strategy sets out five priority areas
Retention is a key area of focus within the strategy, particularly in relation to making sure employee needs are continuously being met and that the GM System is an attractive place to work and build a career. The strategy commits to develop and deliver the Greater Manchester retention plan, focusing on the experience of our health and care people and integrated roles.
The role of leaders in improving retention
The NHS People Plan sets out a key ambition to have more people working differently in a compassionate and inclusive culture. Retaining NHS staff is one of the most important factors for the NHS to deliver care in the forthcoming years. As organisations navigate the ongoing impact and fall out of the COVID-19 pandemic, we must focus on strengthening the supply of our highly-valued workforce, and ensure that both new and existing staff are supported and encouraged to remain in your teams.
The future of NHS human resources and organisational development report provides a vision to 2030 to transform people services. It outlines the actions that will support NHS to achieve the ambition of the People Plan: more people, working differently, in a compassionate and inclusive culture.
Leaders and line managers play a vital role in improving retention across their organisation. Ensuring we take positive action to retain our talented and skilled staff remains a key priority for individual employers and local systems.
Improving staff retention: a guide for line managers and employers has been updated by the National Retention Programme and NHS Employers. This guide contains information on supporting colleagues in their late and early career with specific focus on induction, reward and recognition and menopause support. It aims to help leaders and line managers to take positive action to help retain talented and skilled staff.
The NHS retention hub aims to support local organisations to improve the experience of their people and make sure they stay with the NHS for longer. It includes information and resources for managers and their teams.
Investing in workforce retention
Skills for Care acknowledges that investing in workforce retention supports high quality care, positive workplace culture, staff wellbeing, time and cost savings, as well as positive Care Quality Commission (CQC) ratings.
In a recent survey undertaken by Skills for Care employers with a turnover of less than 10% said that their main activities contributing to workforce retention were:
- Investing in learning and development (94%)
- Embedding the values of their organisation (92%)
- Celebrating the organisation’s and individual achievements (86%)
- Involving colleagues in decision-making (81%)
Useful links and resources
- Agile working to improve staff retention
- Eight elements of positive staff experience
- Embedding a healthy speaking up culture
- Employee recognition
- Evidence based approaches to workforce wellbeing
- Flexible working common myths
- Guidance to support regularising ad hoc home and agile/hybrid working arrangements
- Health and wellbeing champions
- Improving Staff Retention
- Our NHS People Promise
- Preceptorships for newly qualified staff
- Recruiting and retaining healthcare support workers from your local community
- Supporting in-work progression
- Supporting the wellbeing needs of NHS staff
- Top Tips for Adult Social Care Workforce Retention
- Wellbeing guardians: guidance and support
- Workplace health and safety standards
- Improving retention through staff engagement – case study
- ‘Ways to Stay’ High impact actions for retention
Next » Flexible working
Flexible working can contribute towards boosting employees’ health and wellbeing and lead to increased retention levels.