Kent, Surrey and Sussex Adult Critical Care ODN Nurse Retention Survey 2025/26
We were really grateful to receive 1,066 responses in total, including 353 from Kent, Surrey and Sussex units. We want to extend a heartfelt thank‑you to everyone who took the time to share their experiences. Your voices genuinely help shape the support we provide.
We’ve put together a full report that highlights the results of the survey, along with recommendations from the Network.
We’ve also created an infographic to make the findings easier to explore at a glance. For units with ten or more responses, we’ve designed personalised infographics that can be displayed in common areas for ICU teams to read and reflect on together.
The findings show that while many nurses continue to take pride in their work, pressures across the workforce remain significant. Almost half (46%) of respondents expect to leave their current ICU within the next three years, and over a quarter of these plan to leave the NHS entirely. The most common reasons cited include lack of recognition through pay awards, being asked to work on other wards, limited career progression, and high workload.
Stress levels, though slightly improved since the previous survey, remain high. Over half (53%) of respondents reported experiencing significant work‑related stress, driven mainly by staff shortages, redeployment, workload, and challenges with work‑life balance.
Nurses highlighted the importance of having a positive impact on patient care, feeling valued, supportive workplace culture, and work‑life balance. However, many reported gaps between what they consider important and what they currently experience, particularly around pay, progression, and flexibility.
Despite the challenges, a majority of respondents (71%) would still recommend adult ICU nursing as a career, and comments reflected strong appreciation for teamwork, autonomy, and the meaningful nature of critical care work. Access to Professional Nurse Advocates has also improved, with 70% now reporting availability.
The networks will continue to use these findings to inform regional work on retention, focusing on reducing redeployment, strengthening career pathways, improving education access, advocating for fair banding, and supporting positive workplace culture.