Nosy question for NHS clinicians...

[WearyandBleary]

I’ve been in a non-clinical NHS role for a fairly long time and I’m VERY ready to move on.

I don’t understand how clinicians can bear working for the same trust/organisation for their whole career. Don’t you just get driven mad by the same managers/colleagues/processes year in and year out?

Or are clinicians attracted by this element of the career? (Security?). When people wave their long-service of 25 years proudly, I am kind of horrified at their lack of imagination.

I’d really like to continue with my NHS career but I can’t bear being in one organisation for too long. How do you do it?!

Clinician here and I want out but only due to bullying and toxic environment.
The thing that attracted me was I wanted a degree that was job specific and i like the idea of security and no change.
But that's just me.. I'm a bit on the spectrum for sure

I’ve been with the same trust for 17 years But have had the opportunity to develop my skills and climb the career ladder (started as a B5 now a B7). My manager (and my trust as a whole) is extremely supportive of me gaining further knowledge and skills to potentially make the leap to 8a.
So far I’ve been lucky in this, if I hadn’t I would probably have looked to move trusts to move up.

I've worked for the NHS for over 20 years, but I haven't ever worked in the same place or role for more than 3 years or so.

I've worked in several different hospitals, a community centre, in a community role, for an NHS provider and now in education and training provision. I've done 2 nhs funded degrees and a funded diploma in that time too.

It's an overarching organisation not a single employer so the worries about boredom and staleness just don't really apply ime.

But I think the processes don’t stay the same, medicine is constantly evolving and we don’t practice the same way as we did even 5 years ago. There’s a constant challenge to keep up with current evidence wherever you work, so working with pretty much the same team as this challenge is negotiated, and your home life continues at a pace, is very soothing .

So move on. Don't worry about what other people do.
I've been at my trust for 4.5 years, so not in the long term category yet but I can definitely see myself staying until retirement. There are annoying people, but there would also be annoying people if I moved. There are annoying people everywhere. I like where I am and admittedly there is comfort in the familiar environment. But I have also had some good opportunities for advancement here, and possibly more to come. There are some really good people. We are all trying our best.

Thanks! I think in some ways because I’m niche and relatively senior I can’t move around within the same trust because I just end up talking to the same (annoying) people all the time.

I’m sorry for those who would like to move but feel stuck. :( It’s like the long-COVID but long-NHS... :(

I move Trusts every few years...more than that and I start to lose my mind! (Doctor)

Where I've worked, people often stay within the same hospital or trust, due to distance from home, commute, parking, shift times etc etc. They often do move wards, departments or move up the ladder though.

Not everyone wants or needs change. People can feel more secure in keeping the same job and to be familiar with things. Not having to change, learn new processes or procedures, new documentation, new computer systems etc etc. I wouldnt class this as being a 'lack of imagination' as you word it though!

I have had a couple of different roles within the same trust over the last 16 years. That has been a total of 4 different line managers, so things do change. It is frustrating at times and if there had been a wider of variety of trusts near my home I would have moved at different points over the years. As I suspect with a lot of my colleagues and is the case with me, my current trust suits my family life, I didn't want a long commute while they were young. As soon as my youngest hits high school I shall reassess my situation and will look further afield if not getting the challenges from work I need.

I get itchy feet too, but there is plenty of choice where I am (London) so there's always been plenty of opportunity to move around every couple of years. Having said that, community contracts are constantly being bid for and won by different trusts, so sometimes you don't even have to move job or location to change!

I guess if you are non clinical you will spend a lot more time with colleagues. I'm in a clinical role, managers barely touch my radar. The role is varied, I like my team and there are limited options for my career where I live

I have worked for my current trust for 9 years (minus 18m for two maternity leaves which breaks it up a bit!). As others have said, my role has changed a few times which keeps things challenging. I think my trust is one of the best to work in the area for so don't want to move. Also we have a large team so the people I work closely with varies over time. I do think in some places people don't move on because it is convenient. Outside big cities there are often not that many trusts in an area, so moving means a much longer commute. Many staff are attracted by the relatively family friendly nature of the work (my role is 9-5 not shifts) and often have or want children, so value convenience.

I work for a big London trust and have been there 15 years.

What’s made it for me is that I’ve had the chance to move roles and do different things. Also having supportive management who encourage career development even if you stay in the same role.

I’d also say luckily most people I work with are really nice which helps and as we are a big teaching hospital there’s always interesting stuff going on!

I have worked for the same Trust for about 15 years (which sounds like a very long time when I write it), my whole career. Colleagues change regularly as very few people stay as long as me, managers change fairly often and processes keep changing too. I don't really like change and I enjoy my job most of the time, and this is the only job I have ever wanted to do so I don't know what else I would do. Working for a different Trust in a similar job isn't really an option because I can't drive and can't get to other localish hospitals.

@MajesticWhine you are right, of course. I just feel I’m sort of failing for not sticking with the one trust. It seems to be such a badge of honour sticking around forever.

When people wave their long-service of 25 years proudly, I am kind of horrified at their lack of imagination

aye thanks for that .

Maybe security , commute time , trying to balance home life and DC ?

Maybe Clinicians are aware that patienrs LIKE to see the same member of staff or group of staff? .

I work for the NHS in a non-clinical role. The difference between clinical and non-clinical is you can be qualified for a non-clinical role in any type of NHS Trust / organisation. A clinician, on the other hand, will be a specialist - for example in mental health and therefore only able to practice with a mental health trust rather than an acute one.

I've worked with my particular Trust for 14 years. I enjoy my job, the people and have been invested in and promoted over these years. Non-clinical roles at Band 6s and 7s are harder to find than clinical, hence why I have stayed so long.

Our Trust is large so unless I want to move i don't have a huge amount of choice. I'm inclined to think you'd get similar idiots everywhere.

I think that my familiarity with our Trust probably helps me manage my work life. It's totally mad, of course, but im used to it so can anticipate decisions that will be made.

I've always thought this. You can't easily just leave and go somewhere else if you're unhappy, and friends of mine who are unhappy are reluctant to speak up as they are afraid of being frozen out.

The nhs must employ 80% of healthcare professionals so a lot of people are accepting them as employers as soon as they begin their studies.

That’s the thing @winterisstillcoming - I guess you can go to private providers but most NHS employees are driven by different values I think.

I’ve always moved around quite a lot - every five years or so to a different company. I do think there are quite a few “senior” NHS employees that really would have been managed out of non-NHS organisations and have been there for so long that the “old school” culture is very hard to change. There’s not enough new blood at higher levels of management IMO. We’d really benefit from different non-NHS perspectives.

I've worked for a number of Trusts (MH clinical) I tend to find that aside from the odd horror they all do some things well and some less well so I wouldn't move because of the Trust, though I would move for promotion. But actually though I do think it benefits you to see different ways of doing things I also like having a network of colleagues that I know well across the Trust which has developed through doing different jobs within the trust. same with getting to know local communities, local voluntary orgs that we link in with etc. agree with PP that I think a commitment to patients and population are good things.

I've worked for a few different places for varying lengths of time (18 months to 12 years).

All organisations have their faults. It's the team or department I work in that clinches if I stay or not.

Many of the departments I've worked for have gone through changes which has meant variety in what I do. Or I've applied for internal promotions or got involved with projects that have kept my interest.

There's also much to be said for a job where colleagues & management support flexible working & care about each other (it does happen!). That said, I have left where I have been unhappy.

@WearyandBleary just read your "badge of honour"comment. I used to feel like I wanted to be one of those loyal colleagues who'd been there for 30-odd years, never had a day off sick etc.

But it means nothing if you're not enjoying it, & not being supported. Sticking it out to get a certificate isn't worth the burnout & poor mental health.

I've worked in my current trust for 4 years and it's unrecognisable from the trust I joined. I did 12 years in a different trust before that and it was similar, lots and lots of change. I also think a lot of the same issues crop up everywhere you go. Clinical work gives me loads of variety in people and I'm senior enough to affect change in the service if I want to.