In a recent Healthcare Masterclass, Jayne Stutt, Chief People Officer at Priory, shared how the organisation transformed its approach to employee engagement, retention, and well-being over four years. With more than 280 services across the UK and a workforce of over 15,000, Priory’s experience offers powerful lessons for leaders striving to create cultures of trust, inclusion, and sustainable success.
Here are the key takeaways:
Leadership Buy-In: “People See Through Tick-Box Exercises”
For Jayne, the starting point was clear: change only happens when leadership truly owns it.
“It’s got to be leadership buy-in and ownership,” she said. “People will see through those who are just doing it to tick a box. Authentic ownership from the top—and consistency throughout the leadership team—was half the battle.”
This top-down commitment, championed by Priory’s Chief Executive, ensured that culture, engagement, and colleague experience weren’t HR initiatives but core business priorities.
From Centralised Control to Local Ownership
When Jayne stepped into the Chief People Officer role in 2022, she recognised that Priory’s engagement efforts needed to move closer to the front line.
“Historically, we tried to lead engagement centrally,” she explained. “What really makes the difference is local leadership owning their results.”
By empowering local managers to take action on their own teams’ feedback, engagement became more tangible and immediate.
“Recognition now means more,” Jayne added. “It’s less about what Priory does as a faceless organisation, and more about what my line manager or site leader does to recognise me.”
Strategy Focused on Career Growth and Belonging
Jayne’s first people strategy called out two clear goals: career development and belonging.
“With our breadth of services, we can offer really varied and challenging careers,” she said. “But people don’t stay somewhere they don’t feel they belong or can’t trust the leadership.”
By aligning every layer of communication—from the CEO to site managers—around these priorities, Priory created a consistent message that colleagues could believe in.
Listening Without Fatigue
Survey and initiative fatigue are familiar challenges in healthcare, but Priory tackled this head-on.
“Survey fatigue is a real thing,” Jayne admitted. “We shifted the timing of our survey and built engagement into existing processes—like monthly blogs from managing directors—so it feels continuous rather than once-a-year.”
She added that leaders are encouraged to focus on three key actions, rather than long, unmanageable plans.
“Bit by bit, they start to become less big,” she said.
Investing in Wellbeing and Psychological Support
Priory has introduced psychological support leads to offer one-to-one support after serious incidents—a move Jayne said has been pivotal.
“Our colleagues have complex jobs and support people in challenging situations. Having a dedicated psychological support lead has really helped,” she explained.
Well-being efforts also include flexible working, breakaway time after critical incidents, and anti-racism education.
“No one should have to tolerate racism or discrimination as part of their job,” Jayne emphasised. “We’ve focused on educating leaders around zero tolerance and providing the right support.”
Measurable Results: Engagement Up, Turnover Down, Savings Found
The results have been transformative.
“Back in March 2022, our turnover was over 40%—and over 50% for healthcare assistants and support workers,” Jayne said. “We’ve reduced that by more than half, which equates to around £4.6 million in cost avoidance.”
At the same time, engagement scores have risen by 20 points, well-being scores by 14 points, and agency use is at its lowest.
“It’s not just about cost,” Jayne noted. “Retention impacts quality, continuity of care, and the overall colleague experience.”
Communication and Consistency
With a dispersed, shift-based workforce, Priory uses a multi-channel communication strategy to keep everyone informed.
“We rely on improved intranet comms, benefits portals, and line manager cascades,” said Jayne. “Repetition is the key—making sure everyone hears the same message, no matter where they work.”
Real-Time Insights and the Role of AI
New real-time feedback tools have transformed how quickly Priory can respond to employee sentiment.
“Now, our managing directors have survey results within 10 days of closing,” Jayne shared. “That used to take a month or two — you’d lose momentum in that lag phase.”
Priory has also begun piloting AI tools, including Perspectives, to deepen analysis and empower managers with actionable insights.
“We didn’t have Perspectives when our results came out in April, but it’s live now,” she explained. “I’ve asked our Line Managers to go back and compare their analysis to what Perspectives said and see if it highlights anything we might have missed.”
For Jayne, the value lies in accessibility.
“It’s another tool to help managers who are busy and don’t have huge amounts of time to sit and analyse results or aren’t particularly data-focused. It supports them to act faster and smarter on what colleagues are telling us.”
A Culture You Can Feel
Beyond the numbers, Jayne said the culture shift is visible.
“You can feel it when you walk around,” she said. “People are more open, they raise concerns earlier, and they share suggestions for improvement. It’s a sign of trust.”
The Takeaway: Build from the Top, Listen from the Bottom
Jayne’s advice for organisations at the start of their engagement journey is simple but powerful:
“Start with leadership buy-in and consistent messaging. Build engagement into the fabric of your organisation, empower local leaders, and listen—really listen—to your people. The results will follow.”
Top 5 Actions for HR Leaders in Healthcare
- Champion Engagement from the Top
Make engagement a leadership priority, not an HR project. Visible, authentic commitment from senior leaders builds trust and credibility. - Empower Local Leaders
Shift from centralised initiatives to local ownership. Equip managers to take meaningful, team-specific actions based on feedback. - Keep It Simple and Continuous
Avoid initiative overload. Embed engagement into everyday processes, and focus on a few high-impact actions rather than sprawling plans. - Prioritise Well-being and Belonging
Support colleagues through flexible working, psychological support, and inclusive culture. Belonging and care drive retention and motivation. - Use Real-Time Data and AI Insights
Leverage technology like real-time feedback and AI tools such as Perspectives to identify issues early, act fast, and empower leaders with actionable intelligence.