Protective work factors contributing to staff retention in a community rehabilitation team

Mental health services often struggle to retain staff, with negative effects on team cohesion and patient care. It is therefore important to understand the workplace factors that may enhance staff’s job satisfaction and make them more likely to remain in post. The community enhanced rehabilitation team (CERT) at Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust is a psychology-led team working with people who have severe and enduring mental health difficulties. Created in 2021, the CERT has had a low staff turnover, so a service evaluation was undertaken to identify protective work factors within the team that contribute to staff retention. Six staff members took part in semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis of interview data showed that their job satisfaction was enhanced by having a good work-life balance, working in a supportive environment where they felt psychologically safe, and being able to do meaningful work with clients.