Working parents face unique structural barriers that make it more difficult to stay in highly pressurised NHS careers. This is expensive as they make up a large proportion of the NHS workforce, and it has a disproportionate impact on women and people from ethnic minorities.
According to Leaders Plus research in the Big Parent Career Progression Survey, which drew nearly 900 responses from people working across sectors, including 29% from the NHS, one in four working parents had changed employers due to caring responsibilities. One trainee doctor told us: "my daughter is the most important thing in my life. Whether or not I can be present with her alongside working is key to choosing where I work."
The pitfalls can be surprisingly basic: some NHS staff told Leaders Plus they do not know who their manager is. This means they don't know where to turn when they need support in the unexpected situations that life as a working parent throws at them.
The moments that push working parents to leave their job often aren't planned - they happen when work and family responsibilities collide in ways that feel impossible to reconcile.
One parent in the NHS told Leaders Plus, "I'll never forget how my manager responded when I told her my teenager was refusing to attend school. That conversation shaped my decision to stay."
Training managers to respond appropriately in the moments that matter most helps, plus it can prevent unnecessary disputes and resignations. The Leaders Plus toolkit for NHS managers around parental leave, developed with the NHS London Leadership Academy, is useful here.
A supportive manager also matters when you are going through a tough personal time. This is important when 15-20% of mothers experience anxiety and depression in the first year after birth (NICE) which is an additional factor in the already high levels of staff sickness and burnout in the NHS.
Another surprisingly common but easy to fix problem is that too many working parents tell us they don’t know what family-related policies there are or even where to find them. Royal Wolverhampton NHS trust has solved this with a one-stop-shop for all parent-friendly policies, making it easy for staff to find what they need.
Then there are of course the flexibility barriers: in the Leaders Plus research cited above parents in director level roles had often negotiated their own unique flexible arrangements, but many working parents never reach senior roles simply because they lack the support or experience to convince their managers.
Access to flexibility is hit and miss. I often hear from NHS working parents who have had to fight hard for an arrangement - using up valuable energy - while others in nearby similar departments seem to secure flexibility with far less hassle.
Ultimately, easy access flexibility and being able to shape work patterns are key. Many parents have shared that self-rostering, as seen at Alder Hey Children's Hospital, has truly been a game changer as it has given them some ownership over their work arrangements.
But, policies alone are not enough. Working parents in the NHS need role models in leadership who visibly prioritise family life whilst delivering great patient care, but too often, they don't yet exist. In a Leaders Plus survey, 66% of working parents said that role models within an organisation were very or extremely important to their motivation to progress their career.
Trusts like King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust or East London NHS Foundation Trust offer the Leaders Plus Fellowship to build up a group of role models, help working parents balance their work and family commitments and create a safe space. Once role models do exist, it's important to shout about them through internal communications and case studies which offer hope and help change culture.
When trusts face competing financial pressures, investing in working parents may seem like a luxury. However, staff turnover is expensive with some estimating the annual cost of not addressing nurse retention alone at £21.7 billion.
Investing in working parents isn't just a nice-to-have. It is a strategic imperative that saves money, boosts productivity, and can improve patient care. To learn how your trust can join the movement to support working parents, head to Leaders Plus.
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