The Confronting flexible workforce instability in health and social care report from Acacium Group, which operates temporary staffing companies supplying the NHS, contains insights from a survey of 14,000 professionals working in flexible roles across public and private organisations.
The research reveals 11% of flexible workers also say they are considering taking on a role outside of the health and social care workforce within the next two years.
In addition, the report highlights that overall working experience has the lowest satisfaction among doctors (74%), junior doctors (69%), and consultant doctors (64%).
There are many factors that could be influencing this dissatisfaction, the data shows. A quarter (25%) of bank staff say they have experienced or witnessed discrimination, with 47% expressing concerns about inadequate reporting mechanisms or how concerns are managed.
The survey also reveals that workload had the lowest satisfaction score of 69% among flexible workers in comparison to other areas of their role such as on-site support (78%) and access to required equipment (79%).
Nearly half (45%) of respondents are aged 50 and older, emphasising the essential role flexible working plays in keeping experienced professionals within the NHS. The report also highlights that 20% of bank workers cite skills development as a reason for working flexibly.
Mike Barnard, chief executive at Acacium Group, said: ‘The health and social care workforce are the backbone of the NHS. Flexible workers are a key part of this, working shoulder-to-shoulder with full-time staff to deliver high-quality care, so it's really concerning to see many are considering leaving the sector in the next few years.
‘We know that flexible working allows many professionals to stay in the workforce, and provides additional opportunities for development which is key to job satisfaction. With clear challenges to address, we must all work together to ensure that those who choose to work flexibly have the same support as their full-time colleagues. Without this, the long-term sustainability of our workforce could be at risk.'
The Confronting flexible workforce instability in health and social care report can be read here.
