The RCPsych Retention Charter
Dr Ananta Dave (Presidential Lead for Retention and Wellbeing) has led on the development of the first Retention Charter.
It helps to address one of the college’s priorities of supporting and nurturing psychiatrists and supports healthcare organisations to address one of the most crucial issues facing mental health services.
The retention charter provides a structured framework for healthcare organisations to adopt by providing a step wise and systemic approach to the retention of psychiatrists.
The charter empowers organisations to self-assess what level of maturity they are at in relation to adopting good practice around retention, and helps to set out plans for improvement.
The charter is not intended to be a performance management or accreditation tool, prescriptive method, or tick box exercise, and should not be used as one. There is no pressure on organisations to adopt the charter; it is intended as a quality improvement tool, and we hope it is useful guidance for all concerned.
Domain 1: Creating a culture of belonging
“Create workplace environments and cultures where all staff feel valued, respected, and connected to each other and the organisation.”
Domain 2: Supporting psychiatrists’ mental and physical health
"Establish and maintain systems to promote the health and wellbeing of Psychiatrists, minimise work-related stress, and support those with illness, disability, and/or caring responsibilities outside of work."
Domain 3: Supporting psychiatrists’ career planning Including those considering leaving
“Encourage psychiatrists to grow within organisations and achieve their career goals, supporting them as they navigate through life events and plan for retirement.”
Domain 4: Developing medical leadership
“Support the development of compassionate, inclusive, and accountable medical leaders across the organisation and wider healthcare system.”
The charter has been informed by the collated views and experiences of psychiatrists working across multiple career stages, the devolved nations, and various mental health settings.
The charter has also been informed by patient and carer group feedback, policy documents, research, and good practice examples to develop a structured approach towards retention practices.
We are at a critical point in terms of the psychiatry workforce. The number of psychiatrists available to provide care in multidisciplinary teams is decreasing in proportion to the need.
We cannot ignore the weight of data gleaned from various surveys and reports that indicate why Psychiatrists might be leaving the profession, with highlighted risks of burnout, moral injury, and illness among doctors. At the same time, we must also learn from what supports Psychiatrists to continue thriving in their careers and experience satisfaction in their work.
Staff retention is a central component to building a sustainable psychiatric workforce that can meet the future demand for mental health services.
Following the publication of the charter, we will work with RCPsych resources and members to develop evaluation tools and dashboards that will help us to understand the impact of this work and build an evidence base around retention practices in psychiatry.
We also hope to travel and meet with RCPsych members across various organisations in the four nations, to discuss the retention charter in the coming months, building up a database of resources specific to each nation and supporting the sharing of positive practice and implementation of learning.