Job satisfaction among NHS and private orthotists: a cross-sectional comparative study

Background/Aims The orthotic profession is facing a national staff shortage, which has been compounded by high attrition rates. Overall, 70% of NHS orthotic services in the UK are subcontracted out to private companies, but there has been little investigation of how this has affected job satisfaction and intention to remain in the profession among orthotists. This study evaluated and compared job satisfaction among orthotists employed by the NHS and private organisations. Methods A mixed-methods, cross-sectional comparative study was conducted. A total of 123 orthotists (36 employed by the NHS, 82 employed privately) completed an online questionnaire comprising 32 questions regarding their working conditions and job satisfaction, with a combination of free-text and 5-point Likert scale formats. Quantitative analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (version 24), with P≤0.05 indicating significance. Results Over a third (37.4%, n=46) of respondents indicated that they would leave the orthotic profession if they could. The strongest predicting variable for intent to leave was how well staff felt that they were treated by their employer. Respondents consistently reported that their working environments were poor, but this was worse for those who were privately employed. Overall job satisfaction was low in both groups. Conclusions The orthotic profession may be facing a staff retention crisis. Employers should focus on improving working environments and ensuring that staff feel appreciated. Further research is required to investigate the impact of these issues on patient care.