Improving Retention Together Action Kit launched to help NHS Wales workforce belong, thrive and stay

Published 16/02/2026

Led by Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW), the NHS Wales National Retention Programme has today (16 February 2026) launched the Improving Retention Together Action Kit, which champions the notion that improving colleague retention is everyone’s responsibility.

The national digital resource supports the NHS Wales workforce to collectively create compassionate cultures and positive working environments across NHS Wales, enabling colleagues to belong, thrive, and stay.

Retaining the knowledge, skills and experience of the NHS Wales workforce is essential to sustaining safe, high quality patient care. Strong retention supports staff wellbeing, work–life balance, motivation and engagement and ensures new starters are nurtured and effectively integrated. By protecting the expertise of its later stages of career workforce and building a strong pipeline of new recruits, NHS Wales can better meet evolving service demands and changing skill requirements. For patients, this leads to more consistent, safe and high‑quality care delivered by experienced healthcare professionals within supportive, stable teams.

The new toolkit has been developed to support this and is structured around eight evidence based themes that have been shown to have a direct impact on retention. The toolkit brings together practical tools, data, case studies and resources to support the development of compassionate leadership, positive working environments and improved staff health and wellbeing. By making best practice visible and accessible, the toolkit drives consistent national improvement while encouraging local innovation.

Each themed section provides clear guidance on practical actions individuals, teams and NHS organisations can take to help colleagues feel valued, supported and able to thrive at work. The eight themes are flexible working, health and wellbeing, supporting new starters and those new in role, supporting colleagues in later careers, supporting international colleagues, career development and planning, reward and recognition and compassionate cultures.

The toolkit includes a wide range of ready to use resources, including flexible working guidance, inspiring case studies demonstrating improved staff wellbeing and experience, guidance for supporting new starters and international colleagues and mentor and buddy scheme blueprints.

Developed through shared learning, innovation and collaboration, the toolkit reflects a person-centred model co-designed by the National Retention Programme Community of Practice, a network of retention leads from health boards and trusts across Wales. HEIW has helped to lead and shape this work by embedding retention as a strategic priority, investing in the National Retention Community of Practice and developing national retention dashboards, available within the toolkit, to celebrate success and support improvement.

The programme’s focus on values-driven, compassionate leadership has ensured that effective approaches are developed and shared consistently across NHS organisations in Wales.

Zoe Gibson, Lead for the NHS Wales National Retention Programme at HEIW, said:

“Retention isn’t just about numbers. It’s about retaining our colleague’s knowledge, skills and experience which is vital in ensuring we provide safe and high quality care and services to the population of Wales.  Improving retention is challenging and to be successful we all need to play our part. When colleagues feel they belong, are supported to thrive and are valued for the amazing contribution they make, they are far more likely to choose to stay, it’s the little things that make a difference.

“That’s why we developed the Improving Retention Together Toolkit to provide practical, evidence-based support across eight key areas proven to make a real difference to retention."

The Improving Retention Together Action Kit is free to access on HEIW’s national leadership portal, Gwella: https://nhswalesleadershipportal.heiw.wales/retention

HEIW is hosting a series of webinars to raise awareness and increase use of the Improving Retention Together Action Kit. The first two webinars have been designed for the nursing and perinatal workforce. These will be held on Friday 13 March and Tuesday 24 March. To join, sign up here. Further webinars will be available soon.