An evidence-based approach to workforce wellbeing

It is no secret that the NHS is experiencing a workforce crisis. According to the BMJ, sickness rates in the NHS are higher than in the rest of the economy. In 2023, 42% of staff felt unwell in the previous 12 months as a direct result of workplace stress. Just under 55% had come to work in the previous 3 months despite not feeling well enough to perform their duties.

Why does wellbeing matter?

The current levels of demand for healthcare services, long shifts and the emotionally draining nature of the job is inevitably taking a considerable toll on the wellbeing of NHS staff. This in turn is driving high presenteeism (where staff are present but disengaged), absenteeism, turnover and “compassion fatigue”.

The impact of this is considerable. It is well documented that there is a positive impact on the quality of patient care if staff are happy and well, whereas stressed, overworked employees are more prone to errors, leading to poorer patient experience and challenged team dynamics.

But workforce wellbeing is inherently self-perpetuating. Poor wellbeing leads to staff burnout, people calling in sick, or leaving their NHS profession entirely. The result is understaffed teams, or a reliance on agency staff, which creates less productive teams, and increased workload for the staff who do remain in work. This in turn creates further stress and burnout, leading to more staff calling in sick, ending in a continuous cycle.

What the evidence tells us

Wellbeing interventions rarely work when they are reactive. When staff are already experiencing anxiety, stress and burnout, it is too late. Understanding the key drivers, conditions and trends of poor wellbeing is fundamental for a systematic approach. The only way to break this cycle, and prevent it from worsening, is to take bold and proactive steps to improving staff wellbeing in the workplace.

Data driven interventions

Despite the scale of the challenge, too often workforce wellbeing initiatives lack the thought, planning and evidence-base of other clinical interventions – despite the significance of their impact.

When resources are tight, it is even more important that we concentrate on what works, yet the measurement of wellbeing is often regarded as “soft” when compared to other clinical technical measures.  Even where workforce wellbeing is championed by an organisation, there is often no clear and consistent approach to measure the success of wellbeing initiatives, and to ensuring resource is being directed where it will be most effective.

What is required

Alongside greater investment in wellbeing support, further guidance is required to support organisations to design and deliver the initiatives that are most likely to be effective and generate a return on investment.

Here are some tips on making any support initiatives meaningful and on creating an evidence-based approach:

• A clear definition of the purpose of this wellbeing initiative; what is the outcome the organisation wants the programme to have? This could be reduced stress, reduced pain, prevention of long-term sickness and more.
• Do you have existing evidence that this is the greatest need your workforce has? If not, how can you collect the right data to tell you what is?
• Establish how you can measure if the activity is achieving the outcome you intended. Have you collected baseline data on your staff wellbeing at the outset? Have you asked people to consider the impact this initiative has had on them and their ability to do their job?
• How much did it cost to run this initiative, compared to the positive impact on staff wellbeing it achieved? Is this a good allocation of resources? Does it generate a positive return on investment?

While these questions may not have the empirical basis of other clinical interventions, they do provide a practical steer on what works and what your staff need. If asked consistently, they form an evidence base to support wellbeing professionals effectively determine and share best practice, improving the allocation of resources accordingly, and ensuring NHS staff can perform their jobs.

Get in touch!

Our team have longstanding experience of workforce development and evaluation. We have been working with a number of our clients recently to help them with their workforce challenges.

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