Investigating healthcare workforce recruitment and retention: a mixed-methods study protocol

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Organizational Psychology
• Workforce Development

Background:

• The sustainability of the health workforce is crucial for achieving health and development goals.
• The UK National Health Service (NHS) faces significant challenges in staff recruitment and retention, with high turnover rates.
• There is a need to understand the root causes of workforce deficiencies and the impact of organizational practice environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of organizational practice environment factors on healthcare workforce recruitment and retention.
• To explore the experiences and perspectives of staff and senior leaders regarding workforce issues.
• To identify strategies for strengthening partnerships to enhance staff recruitment and retention.

Main Methods:

• An exploratory mixed-methods approach using online surveys and qualitative interviews.
• Survey of newly qualified and established nurses and allied health professionals (target N=373).
• Multilevel linear regression for quantitative analysis and inductive coding for qualitative data analysis.

Main Results:

• Quantitative analysis will evaluate associations between organizational practice environment factors and staff recruitment/retention.
• Qualitative interviews will provide in-depth understanding of staff and leader experiences.
• Findings will illuminate how practice environment factors influence workforce dynamics.

Conclusions:

• Understanding organizational practice environments is key to addressing NHS workforce shortages.
• Interventions targeting practice environments can improve recruitment and retention.
• Strengthening partnerships is vital for a sustainable healthcare workforce.