Impact of External Factors(Brexit and Covid-19) on Retention and Turnover in the NHS

Problems with retention and staff turnover in the health sectors of many western countries have a long history and have thus attracted research attention over the years. The National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom (UK) is not immune to this problem as it is reported that the NHS as an organisation is struggling to meet staffing demands particularly with its nursing and medical workforce. One of the ways to tackle this problem has been to recruit staffs from European union countries. With the exit of UK from the EU, there are concerns on the this departure on staffing. While the UK was still coming to terms with BREXIT and its effect on the NHS, the current COVID 19 pandemic struck and has intensified workload and demands on the health sector, particularly the NHS. As a result of this, many NHS employees believe more should be done to show they are valued and appreciated for all their hard work. Turnover is already high among clinical occupations in the NHS as people leave for various reasons. It is therefore important to study the combined effect of these external factors (BREXIT and COVID 19) on turnover and retention in the NHS Grampian. It is hoped that this study will be beneficial to NHS Grampian management and policy makers as it will aid early identification of intention to leave and possibly enhance staff retention. The study will be carried out in Scotland and will be limited to NHS Grampian. Nurses and consultants who have been in employed in NHS Grampian prior to BREXIT and COVID 19 will be invited participate. Participants will voluntarily take part in a semi structured interview which may last for about 45 to 60 minutes. The project is self-funded for the award of a PhD in management studies.