Are we retaining clinical psychologists and other psychological professionals in the NHS workforce and can we do more?

Abstract

In this article we focus specifically on the issue of retention in the psychological professions workforce in England, with a particular focus on clinical psychologists. We focus both on available data which appears to show a stable or even improving situation in terms of the proportion of clinical psychologists leaving the NHS each year, and on anecdotal concerns which are frequently expressed about retention of clinical psychologists in NHS roles and the pull of private sector employment in particular. Noting the possible disconnect between these different sources of evidence, we go on to consider potential threats to retention in clinical psychology and to set out actions – in line with those suggested for other professional groups in the NHS – which different interested parties and stakeholders could take to maximise retention of clinical psychologists in NHS services. We highlight the need for improvements in the quality and granularity of available data to inform further debate.