What keeps nurses in nursing?

There is a chronic shortage of registered nurses in the UK. Despite efforts to increase nursing numbers, vacancy rates in the NHS remain high, reinforcing the need to retain nurses already in the workforce. What makes some nurses decide to leave their jobs, or the profession altogether, and others stay? Understanding workplace factors that influence these decisions could help employers and policymakers to create the conditions needed to keep nurses in the profession.In this Evidence Brief, we bring together the key findings from a scoping review of reports and research papers to summarise what is known about factors that influence nurse retention, and consider what more needs to be done to develop effective retention strategies.