Exit interviews and recent joiners’ insights for Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust
A successful project undertaken by ResourceBank led to increased staff engagement at the Trust, who are strong advocates of using an independent supplier for open, honest results and exceptional data capture and analysis.
Background
Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust is responsible for hospital services at Lewisham Hospital and Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Greenwich, as well as a range of community services in Lewisham and some services at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sidcup.
The Trust provides high quality healthcare for a population of more than 666,000 people across Lewisham, Greenwich and Bexley. It employs 6,500 staff and has 901 beds across its two hospitals.
Engagement with exit services was low – just six per cent of leavers - so the Trust decided to take action. They decided to work with ResourceBank’s independent engagement monitoring service for both its exit interviews and to gain valuable insights from joiners after their first six months. The aim was to improve staff retention and prevent attrition.
Completion rate increased from 6% to 68%
The Trust wanted all interviews to be carried out either face-to-face or over the phone. ResourceBank were given a two-week deadline. Working with key Trust personnel to establish a project team and plan, this was successfully met.
During the course of the nine-month project, ResourceBank completed over 200 exit interviews and over 400 recent joiner interviews with conversion rates of 68% and 53% respectively, covering a variety of roles from admin and clerical, to nurses and doctors and to senior management.
Monthly and quarterly headline graphical reports were produced, along with more detailed analysis, featuring valuable qualitative and quantitative data and pilot end overall and isolated trend analysis.
Rich data identified trends
ResourceBank took time to enhance and customise the exit interview to maximise the richness of data collected and for leavers, the team looked at length of service, division, group, reasons for leaving and overall experience. For joiners a new survey was created, insights included the Trust welcome and induction, the participant’s sense of value, work-life balance, wellbeing, productivity and feelings of value.
A full, in-depth trend analysis report was produced with detailed data and recommendations.
Using an independent supplier was key to the success
Lisa Brown, Workforce Programme and Projects Manager for the Trust, is exceptionally pleased with how ResourceBank delivered the project. She said:
“We, as a Trust, realised that the take-up of existing exit interviews was very low: about six percent of all leavers. We realised we needed a project to see what was going on and, due to the sheer volume of staff, this needed to be outsourced. I scanned the market and ResourceBank were the only ones that provided exactly what we were looking for.”
Lisa contacted the team and was very impressed with what was on offer, particularly real time data and in-depth analysis. She said:
“We got things off the ground in just two weeks. It was a very tight deadline, but ResourceBank understood what we needed, and we achieved it. We really did work well together, the team were very responsive, reporting was really good, and everything was on time. Using an independent supplier was key to the success of the project; they understood the need for anonymity and confidentiality.”
Recent joiner interviews provided valuable information
Lisa said that the information from new joiners was particularly valuable.
“This has been the most helpful information – once someone decides to leave there’s not a lot you can do, but at six months, we can take on board feedback and improve things. After staff have been in the Trust for this period of time, impressions are fully formed. Before ResourceBank, there was no data collection from this milestone of their employment, so this has been extremely valuable.”
Following feedback on how welcomed staff felt, some divisions have held tea parties to welcome new joiners. They have also introduced a ‘survival kit’ with a teabag and information as part of a welcome pack, and a new staff networking session. In terms of attrition, in September 2018 the Trust set a target to reduce staff turnover to less than 12 per cent by April 2021. This has already been achieved, and the ResourceBank work has contributed to a successful retention strategy.
Lisa said she would recommend ResourceBank to other NHS Trusts, or any company in need of in-depth insights.
“There is definitely more openness with an independent company; having somebody neutral to speak to has really made a difference. I would recommend this approach to other NHS Trusts because it really does work. With ResourceBank you are able to get a lot of information; the reporting side is very good. We didn’t have a way of reporting before and this was very clear, with strong visuals. There is excellent access to data which enables you to drill down further. The project was a really positive experience, and we had a very strong working relationship.”
Key Benefits
- Independent supplier led to increased engagement and openness
- Unbiased and objective interviews
- Clear qualitative and quantitative data
- Real-time reporting
- Data review with recommendations and solutions
Further information
Visit our NHS Engagement interviews page for more detail about he services provided.
Contact Charlotte Todd-Smith on 07734 972 679 or email: exit.interviews@resourcebank.co.uk.
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