Retention and future job intentions of graduate primary care mental health workers: A newly developed role in England

Abstract

Modernization of the English National Health Service (NHS) workforce has led to the introduction of a number of new roles. One such role is the graduate primary care mental health worker (PCMHW). Although generally successful in expanding primary mental health care, several challenges were raised by the initial implementation, including retention and development of effective career pathways for these workers. The aim of this study was to examine retention and future job intentions of graduate PCMHWs at the end of their one-year training. Mail surveys of the first cohort of graduate PCMHWs recruited in 2004 were conducted at the beginning and end of their 12-month training. Satisfaction with training courses was generally low. Over half indicated they were likely to leave their graduate PCMHW post within the next few months. However, most intended to stay within the NHS. After training, problems were highlighted in relation to the quality of the training programmes and lack of development of an effective career pathway. This has serious consequences for the viability of this initiative.