CFH1b Priming - A mixed methods evaluation of the impact of extending working hours in a large Mental Health Trust: assessing employee and organisational outcomes

Our study evaluates the impact of a recent change in shift patterns in a large NHS Mental Health Trust. Research evidence suggests shift work can negatively affect health and wellbeing yet paradoxically can benefit both employers and employees. The dynamic nature of the relationship between organisational change and health has also received little attention. Our study examines the impact on workers and how they adapt and respond, but also on a range of outcomes such as staff turnover, absence, complaints, and satisfaction. The findings will be of significance to i) workers in terms of how to manage their health and wellbeing and ii) managers in terms of the implications of extending shifts on the costs and management of service provision. This pilot evaluation will pave the way for a new interdisciplinary collaboration which will seek to examine changes in work patterns for mental health staff in a large national study.