Growth starts with retention: Exploring clinical psychologists’ decisions to leave the NHS

Abstract

Staff retention is one of the biggest crises facing the National Health Service (NHS); research has developed an understanding of this problem from the perspective of doctors, nurses, and other allied health professionals. A gap in the literature is understanding NHS retention from the perspective of clinical psychologists. This study explored the motivating factors in a clinical psychologist’s decision to leave the NHS. Fourteen clinical psychologists were interviewed using semi-structured interviews. Data was analysed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Findings highlighted how clinical psychologists viewed the NHS to be in decline, which impacted on the standard of care and the valuing of therapy. Clinical psychologists noted feeling stagnated in their career, reflected not feeling valued, which led to an impact on their mental health. Future research should focus on exploring what helps clinical psychologists stay in the NHS, institutional commitment amongst doctorate trainees, and early warning signs of professional stagnation.

Date of Award	12 Sept 2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Plymouth
Supervisor	Nicholas Troop (Director of Studies (First Supervisor))