Exclusive: Low job satisfaction driving managers out of NHS

According to a survey by trade union Managers in Partnership, 60 per cent of 394 of its members are planning to leave the NHS in the next five years, either to retire or seek alternative employment.

Of this 60 per cent, the majority said changes in the NHS affecting their job satisfaction was their main reason for wanting to leave the health service.

Slightly fewer respondents said changes that have affected their workload and health was their reason for leaving.

Over half – 54 per cent – of all respondents said they would not recommend a career as an NHS manager to family and friends.

Jon Restell, chief executive of Managers in Partnership, said a combination of huge organisational change, high pressure on services and the reduction of resources have left many NHS managers questioning if they feel it was sustainable for them to continue to working within the health service.

“Since 2010, a third of managers lost their jobs, and infrastructure staffing contracted by 10 per cent,” Mr Restell said. “This cut was devastating and it is no wonder that there has been a rapid decline in the recorded morale of managers and it is a massive cause for concern.

“This is not to say that managers do not view their roles as a vocation or do not enjoy their jobs, but clearly this is an issue that needs to be addressed urgently.”

Mr Restell added the long term plan has the “opportunity to act as a reset button for rebalancing the “extremely low morale of managers in the NHS”.