Team climate, job satsfaction and burnout: results from a national survey of staff in general practice in England

BACKGROUND: Measures are needed to address recruitment and retention problems in general practice. A good team climate (relational processes of team working) can mitigate the effects of pressured work environments, but little is known about it in British general practice. AIM: To assess team climate, explore practice characteristics and workforce combinations associated with favourable team climates, and analyse associations between practice team climate and job satisfaction, intention to remain in post, burnout and measures of practice performance. METHOD: An online questionnaire distributed to practices (for all their staff) via Clinical Research Networks, mid 2022, comprising validated measures: 14 item Team Climate Inventory (TCI) and single items on job satisfaction and emotional exhaustion/burnout; a question on intention to remain in post; participant role, age group, gender. Anonymous completion; submission through the Oxford RCGP RSC. RESULTS: Responses received from 4.8% of national staff headcount, n = 9835, (21.6% GP, 22.9% nurse/direct patient care, 55.5% non-clinical). Mean TCI score, 3.73 (scale 1-5 best); 78.3% were satisfied in their jobs; 26.1% reported high burnout. GPs perceived significantly better team climate, and reported lower job satisfaction, higher burnout (especially male GPs) and lower intention to quit than other groups. After adjusting for practice and workforce characteristics, team climate was better in smaller practices and associated with more job satisfaction, less burnout, increased intention to remain and improved patient-reported experiences; climate was unrelated to QOF performance. CONCLUSION: Team climate could be used to improve morale and patient experience. Micro teams might be beneficial in larger practices.