A University of Surrey study has found that the NHS Retention Direct Support Programme (RDSP) has prevented more than 1,400 deaths.
Established in 2017, the Retention Direct Support Programme provides NHS hospitals with crucial data and guidelines to improve non-monetary aspects of nursing jobs.
This includes providing more flexibility to nurses at work, additional training, and professional development to increase nurse retention.
Now, a study from the University of Surrey, titled Non-monetary Interventions, Workforce Retention and Hospital Quality: Evidence from the English NHS, has highlighted RDSP’s success.
How was the RDSP initiative implemented?
The Retention Direct Support Programme was launched by NHS Improvement (NHSI), the governing body responsible for managing NHS trusts.
RDSP was rolled out across five different cohorts, with NHS Trusts allocated cohorts based on their past turnover rates and trends.
During the Retention Direct Support Programme, Trusts were required to design their own retention strategies in an action plan agreed upon with NHSI.
The Trust’s progress was then monitored by NHSI for 12 months, with targeted support provided when required.
Results of the project
The study found that the nurse turnover rate dropped by 4.49%, leading to a 5.38% decrease in nurse exits from public hospitals.
This led to a 3.45% reduction in mortality rates – the equivalent of avoiding 11,400 deaths.
Dr Giuseppe Moscelli, lead investigator of the study and Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Surrey, explained: “Excessive turnover in organisations can have a detrimental impact on performance, and the public hospital sector is no exception.
“However, Surrey’s recent study, using high-quality administrative data, has revealed a promising solution.
“Our findings also suggest that the impact of the RDSP on managerial behaviour played a crucial role in its success – with middle managers possibly being the main actors in curbing employee turnover.
“Moreover, the RDSP had a positive impact on hospital quality, particularly in disease-specific areas where the UK NHS historically performed poorly, such as respiratory conditions and maternity services.”
The study also highlighted the relationship between centralisation and decentralisation in managing public organisations.
For example, preserving an aspect of centralisation, such as providing information on best practices, was shown to help decentralised units improve outcomes and overcome information challenges.
Professor Jo Blanden, co-author of the study and a researcher at the University of Surrey, added: ”The success of the RDSP was attributed to its ability to bridge information gaps and disseminate best practices at an organisation level.
“This gives us hope that the challenges of nurse retention and hospital quality in the public sector can be met.
“We hope that future policymakers and hospital administrators can use these research findings to inform and design more effective strategies to improve workforce retention and patient outcomes.”
