Research commissioned by recruitment agency TMP Worldwide surveyed 1,600 UK nurses, 57 per cent of which said they are looking for a new position. Twenty-one per cent are actively job hunting and 36 per cent “quietly keeping an eye out for something new”.

‘The sheer number of nurses looking for a new post indicates they are disillusioned where they are and think it will be better elsewhere’

Half the nurses surveyed said they were looking for a new job, but will they be any happier somewhere else? They are disillusioned with management, staffing cuts, new shift systems and a pay freeze.

They are seeking a better work-life balance, a chance for promotion and a salary increase. They are wary of trusts that have a bad reputation. If promotion and more money is what they are after then a move is their best chance of getting it.

Universal truths

However, the sheer number of nurses looking for a new post indicates they are disillusioned where they are and think it will be better elsewhere. What many don’t seem to recognise is that the changes to working practices illustrated by new shift systems, the cuts in staffing levels, the tougher approach to absence management, the pressure to hit performance targets, and the constant talk of the need to make efficiency savings and budget cuts will be the same almost wherever they go.

‘Life on the front line is much the same wherever you are a social worker and your new colleagues share the same view of management’

I have seen the same attitude among social workers as restructuring, redundancies and redeployments unsettled staff and then closures and service cuts made them question management’s commitment to care standards.

Feeling undervalued, ignored and then accused of resisting change by management, long serving staff assumed things would be different in another social service department as long as they avoid those with a bad reputation.

They were wrong. Life on the front line is much the same wherever you are a social worker and your new colleagues share the same view of management as your former ones.

If you want promotion then go for it; if you want more family friendly hours go for it and if you’re lucky your new line manager may be more appreciative and supportive. Much else will be the same.

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