Wellbeing and Support: Preventing Burnout

September 1, 2025

💚 Blog 5 of 7 in our Workforce Development & Retention Series
Wellbeing and Support: Preventing Burnout

Links to all 7 blogs in this series are at the bottom of this post.

💡 Why Wellbeing Matters for Retention

Social care staff face emotionally demanding, physically challenging, and often unpredictable work. Without effective wellbeing support, the risk of burnout is high — and with burnout comes high turnover, sickness absence, and reduced quality of care. Commissioners and the CQC recognise this link: a provider that looks after its staff is more likely to deliver safe, consistent, person-centred care.

That’s why tenders now include questions on workforce wellbeing, and inspectors ask staff directly about morale, stress, and support. A strong workforce strategy must show not just how staff are trained, but how they are supported to stay healthy and resilient.

🧠 Understanding Burnout

Burnout isn’t just about being tired. It’s a state of chronic stress that leads to emotional exhaustion, reduced empathy, and disengagement from work. In social care, burnout can have serious consequences — mistakes in medication, lapses in safeguarding, or breakdowns in professional boundaries.

Warning signs include:

High levels of sickness absence and staff turnover.
Feedback from exit interviews about stress or lack of support.
Declines in quality indicators, such as missed visits or complaints.

Providers who can demonstrate proactive action to prevent burnout show commissioners they are investing in safe and sustainable care delivery.

🏛️ Commissioner and CQC Expectations

Commissioners increasingly expect evidence of staff wellbeing measures in method statements. This includes:

Wellbeing programmes — access to counselling, Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs), or wellbeing champions.
Flexible working — supporting staff to balance caring responsibilities and personal life.
Workload management — ensuring rotas are fair and staff aren’t stretched beyond safe capacity.
Recognition schemes — celebrating staff achievements to build morale and pride.

For the CQC, wellbeing links directly to the Well-Led and Caring domains. Inspectors will ask staff about how supported they feel and whether they are given the tools and time to do their job properly.

🛠️ Practical Wellbeing Measures

Providers can take a range of actions to support wellbeing and prevent burnout:

Introduce wellbeing check-ins during supervision and appraisal.
Offer mental health first aid training and staff champions.
Provide confidential counselling services or EAP access.
Encourage peer support networks, especially in domiciliary and home care where staff may feel isolated.
Use staff surveys to monitor stress levels and act on feedback quickly.

For learning disability services, wellbeing might also include training and support around managing challenging behaviour safely, reducing the risk of staff stress and turnover.

💡 Practical Example

Two providers describe their wellbeing support in tenders:

❌ Provider A: “We support staff wellbeing through an open-door policy.”
✅ Provider B: “We run quarterly wellbeing surveys, provide 24/7 EAP access, and have trained 6 Wellbeing Champions across services. As a result, staff sickness has reduced by 28% and retention improved by 15% in the past year.”

Commissioners reward Provider B’s approach because it demonstrates impact and outcomes, not just intent.

📊 Why Wellbeing Matters in Tenders

In a competitive tender, wellbeing evidence can make the difference between an average and a high score. Commissioners want to know that providers are taking proactive steps to keep staff safe, motivated, and committed — because that translates directly into better outcomes for people supported.

Including wellbeing evidence in tender-ready submissions is not just about compliance — it’s about demonstrating resilience and quality under pressure.

🧰 Practical Tips for Providers

Track sickness, turnover, and retention data and link it to wellbeing initiatives.
Invest in staff surveys and act visibly on the feedback received.
Build wellbeing outcomes into bid strategy training so teams can evidence impact.
Use wellbeing champions and peer networks to embed support in daily practice.

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