Career progression opportunities and the retention of health visitors

There is a shortage of health visitors in England and career progression is known to increase staff retention in nursing. Therefore, a systematic search strategy was conducted and four main themes emerged following a reflexive thematic analysis. It found career progression opportunities improve staff retention, while barriers to career progression, including a lack of structured career pathways and progression opportunities, staff shortages, unavailable funding for staff training and gender inequalities, have a negative impact on staff retention. It is concluded that providing structured career pathways could improve the retention of health visitors. Further research examining the influencing factors on health visitor retention is recommended. Structured career pathways should be offered, allocating time during working hours for health visitors to attend courses and work on projects, and ensure that equality, diversity and inclusion policies include specific strategies for female career progression.