Burnout among NHS staff isn’t just a well-being issue; it’s a critical recruitment and retention challenge. Exhausted healthcare professionals are more likely to leave their roles, exacerbating the existing staffing shortages and putting additional strain on the remaining workforce. It’s a vicious cycle that demands immediate attention.

The Burnout Report, 2024 by Mental Health UK found that nine in ten UK adults experienced high or extreme stress in the past year. Almost a quarter of UK adults felt unable to manage stress and pressure in their lives. While 35% of respondents did not feel comfortable talking about mental health with managers and senior leaders at work.

The Toll of Burnout is More Than Just Tiredness

Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged or excessive stress. In the NHS, it manifests as:

  • Emotional exhaustion: Feeling drained, overwhelmed, and unable to cope with the emotional demands of the job
  • Depersonalisation: A detached and cynical attitude towards patients and colleagues
  • Reduced personal accomplishment: A sense of ineffectiveness and lack of achievement in one’s work

These symptoms can lead to decreased job satisfaction, increased absenteeism, higher turnover rates, and even medical errors. For NHS recruiters, the implications are clear: burnout is a significant barrier to attracting and retaining top talent.

Causes of Burnout in the NHS

Research by The King’s Fund shows that NHS staff are 50% more likely to experience chronic stress, a known contributor to burnout. Factors such as staff shortages and pressures to maintain high quality patient care all contribute to burnout in NHS staff. According to the British Medical Journal (BMJ), burnout significantly impacts the retention of our highly valued NHS workforce, with more staff thinking about leaving the NHS.

Other factors contributing to burnout in the NHS:

  • Excessive workloads: Long hours, understaffing, and increasing patient demands can leave healthcare professionals feeling overwhelmed and overworked
  • Lack of control: Limited autonomy and inflexible working conditions can contribute to a sense of powerlessness and frustration
  • Insufficient rewards: Feeling undervalued, underpaid, and lacking recognition for their work can erode morale and motivation

Addressing Burnout with a Multifaceted Approach

Tackling burnout requires a multifaceted approach:

  • Improving working conditions: This includes ensuring adequate staffing levels, providing regular breaks, and offering flexible working arrangements
  • Promoting work-life balance: Encouraging staff to take time off, prioritise self-care, and set boundaries between work and personal life
  • Fostering a supportive culture: Creating a workplace where staff feel valued, respected, and supported by their colleagues and managers
  • Providing mental health support: Offering access to counselling, stress management programs, and other resources to help staff cope with the emotional demands of the job

Can technology elevate some of the pressure?

Oleeo’s ATS can help Fight Against Burnout

While technology alone cannot solve the burnout crisis, it can play a significant role in supporting recruitment and retention efforts. Oleeo’s NHS Applicant Tracking System (ATS) offers several features that can help:

    • Streamlined recruitment: By automating time-consuming tasks, Oleeo frees up recruiters to focus on candidate engagement and building relationships
    • Enhanced candidate experience: A positive candidate experience can make a difference in attracting and retaining talent, and Oleeo helps ensure a smooth and efficient process.
    • Data-driven insights: Oleeo provides valuable data on recruitment metrics, helping identify areas for improvement and track the effectiveness of burnout prevention initiatives
  • Automation: Let data automation do the heavy lifting when it comes to attracting and finding candidates, here are our top tips!

NHS trusts Oleeo partners with include University Hospitals Birmingham and Somerset. We’ve supported them to reduce their time to hire, lessen admin tasks, and streamline their recruitment processes.

A Holistic Solution

Addressing the NHS burnout crisis requires a comprehensive approach that combines organisational changes, individual support, and technological solutions. By prioritising staff well-being and investing in tools like Oleeo’s ATS, a more sustainable and resilient NHS workforce can be achieved.

Key Takeaways for NHS Recruiters:

  • Recognise burnout as a major recruitment and retention challenge
  • Address the root causes of burnout through organisational changes and individual support
  • Utilise technology like Oleeo’s ATS to streamline recruitment, enhance the candidate experience, and gather data-driven insights

By taking a proactive approach to burnout prevention, not only can you improve the well-being of your Trust’s workforce but also strengthen the NHS’s ability to attract and retain top talent.