The impact of a tailored, multifacted workforce strategy: A 3-year comparison study of drivers of allied health retention and attrition in a metropolitan health service.

Abstract

Workforce challenges are straining allied health (AH) in healthcare. The shortage is thought to be multifactorial; however, literature exploring the drivers of retention and attrition is limited. Pre-pandemic examinations of the push and pull factors for recruitment and retention of AH clinicians have largely been focused on experiences in regional and remote areas in countries including Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. This is attributed to the long-standing maldistribution of AH clinicians between metro, rural and remote areas. A systematic review of the factors that influence workplace location choices for allied health professionals identified five key domains that influence AH recruitment and retention: (a) opportunities for career development; (b) workload and type of work; (c) organisational and workplace structure; (d) previous location exposure, and (e) personal factors. Our baseline data found that factors correlated with intention to leave were: feeling a sense of satisfaction with their role; not being recognised and rewarded by the team manager; not working in the preferred clinical area; and, feeling burned out by the job. Qualitative findings extended these findings and identified the centrality of aspects of the job (job characteristics), the organisational context (rewards offered; climate; organisational support) and person-context interface (peer/group relations; work-life conflict) on attraction, retention, and attrition in AH roles in our setting.