Staff retention in echocardiography: a formal exploration of workforce drivers.
7 affiliations
- 1Barts Health NHS Trust, Trust Executive Offices, Ground Floor, Pathology and Pharmacy Building, The Royal London Hospital, 80 Newark Street, London, E1 2ES, UK. [email protected].
- 2University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
- 3East London NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
- 4North London Cardiac Operational Delivery Network, London, UK.
- 5Barts Health NHS Trust, Trust Executive Offices, Ground Floor, Pathology and Pharmacy Building, The Royal London Hospital, 80 Newark Street, London, E1 2ES, UK.
- 6Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
- 7Cleveland Clinic London, London, UK.
Abstract
Background
Retention of diagnostic imaging staff is a growing concern within the NHS, with echocardiography services facing particular pressure due to high demand, workforce shortages, and post-pandemic backlogs. While factors influencing NHS staff retention are well documented, limited research has focused specifically on echocardiography staff, a highly skilled and specialised workforce.Aim
This study aimed to explore intention to leave among NHS echocardiography staff and to identify factors that encourage retention, alongside perceived barriers to staying within the role or organisation.Methods
As a part of business as usual, Trust staff support psychologists offered to meet with echocardiography colleagues for a general support session and to advertise the services they offer. The psychological support aspect of the team session has an evidence base in the Trust that was used to form the session content. All echocardiography staff were invited to attend a facilitated two-hour group or individual sessions combining survey completion, structured discussion, and psychological support. Quantitative data on job satisfaction and intention to leave were collected alongside qualitative discussion data, which were anonymised and analysed thematically. This mixed-methods service evaluation was conducted within a large acute NHS Trust.Results
Forty-five staff participated, including Band 7 echocardiographers (n = 37) and Band 8 team leaders (n = 8). Retention intent differed by role: 88% of Band 8 leaders reported low intention to leave, compared with 39% of Band 7 staff indicating potential intention to leave within two years. Key retention factors included supportive management, positive team relationships, individualised flexibility, professional autonomy, and individualised plans around work-life balance. Barriers to retention centred on workload pressure, burnout (including musculoskeletal injury risk), limited career progression, and financial concerns. Younger staff were more likely to report thoughts of leaving. Participants highlighted meaningful relationships with patients and colleagues as protective against disengagement, alongside concerns regarding role narrowing and future AI integration. Impressions during the psychological support aspect involved the individualised understanding of flexibility, work-life balance and therefore a variety of potentially helpful solutions. The connection between colleagues generated in the group seemed of benefit.Conclusions
Retention among echocardiography staff is influenced by a complex interaction of organisational, professional, and wellbeing factors rather than pay alone. Multifaceted, individualised, targeted retention strategies focusing on workload management, career development, psychological support, and clear communication around service evolution are essential to sustaining this critical workforce.
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BibTeX
@article{croft2026staff,
title = {{Staff retention in echocardiography: a formal exploration of workforce drivers.}},
author = {Carla Croft and Charlotte Barry and Macarena Fernandez Diaz and Wafa Sehailia and Delfin Encarnacion and Sanjeev Bhattacharyya and Guy Lloyd},
journal = {Echo research and practice},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1186/s44156-026-00137-z},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42968201},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Staff retention in echocardiography: a formal exploration of workforce drivers.
AU - Carla Croft
AU - Charlotte Barry
AU - Macarena Fernandez Diaz
AU - Wafa Sehailia
AU - Delfin Encarnacion
AU - Sanjeev Bhattacharyya
AU - Guy Lloyd
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/02
JO - Echo research and practice
DO - 10.1186/s44156-026-00137-z
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42968201
AB - Background Retention of diagnostic imaging staff is a growing concern within the NHS, with echocardiography services facing particular pressure due to high demand, workforce shortages, and post-pandemic backlogs. While factors influencing NHS staff retention are well documented, limited research has focused specifically on echocardiography staff, a highly skilled and specialised workforce.Aim This study aimed to explore intention to leave among NHS echocardiography staff and to identify factors that encourage retention, alongside perceived barriers to staying within the role or organisation.Methods As a part of business as usual, Trust staff support psychologists offered to meet with echocardiography colleagues for a general support session and to advertise the services they offer. The psychological support aspect of the team session has an evidence base in the Trust that was used to form the session content. All echocardiography staff were invited to attend a facilitated two-hour group or individual sessions combining survey completion, structured discussion, and psychological support. Quantitative data on job satisfaction and intention to leave were collected alongside qualitative discussion data, which were anonymised and analysed thematically. This mixed-methods service evaluation was conducted within a large acute NHS Trust.Results Forty-five staff participated, including Band 7 echocardiographers (n = 37) and Band 8 team leaders (n = 8). Retention intent differed by role: 88% of Band 8 leaders reported low intention to leave, compared with 39% of Band 7 staff indicating potential intention to leave within two years. Key retention factors included supportive management, positive team relationships, individualised flexibility, professional autonomy, and individualised plans around work-life balance. Barriers to retention centred on workload pressure, burnout (including musculoskeletal injury risk), limited career progression, and financial concerns. Younger staff were more likely to report thoughts of leaving. Participants highlighted meaningful relationships with patients and colleagues as protective against disengagement, alongside concerns regarding role narrowing and future AI integration. Impressions during the psychological support aspect involved the individualised understanding of flexibility, work-life balance and therefore a variety of potentially helpful solutions. The connection between colleagues generated in the group seemed of benefit.Conclusions Retention among echocardiography staff is influenced by a complex interaction of organisational, professional, and wellbeing factors rather than pay alone. Multifaceted, individualised, targeted retention strategies focusing on workload management, career development, psychological support, and clear communication around service evolution are essential to sustaining this critical workforce.
SN - 2055-0464
ER -