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NHS backlogs risk health of doctors as well as patients, GMC report finds

Trainees in all medical specialties showed an increased risk of burnout compared to last year, with the highest rate in emergency medicine, according to a new report from the General Medical Council (GMC).

Trainees in all medical specialties showed an increased risk of burnout compared to last year, with the highest rate in emergency medicine, according to a new report from the General Medical Council (GMC).

The annual national training survey was completed by more than 67,000 UK doctors – all either trainees or trainers – and shows that post-pandemic NHS backlogs threaten the health and wellbeing of thousands of doctors.

While most trainees rated the quality of their training highly, and nine in ten trainers said they enjoyed their roles, the risk of burnout is now at its worst since it was first tracked in 2018. The GMC is calling for clinicians’ wellbeing and training to be at the heart of workforce planning as health services continue their post-pandemic recovery.

Two-thirds of trainee doctors said they ‘always’ or ‘often’ felt worn out at the end of a working day, while nearly half (44%) were regularly ‘exhausted’ in the morning at the thought of another day at work’.

Analysis of the results by the GMC shows that 63% of trainees, and 52% of doctors who work as trainers, are at moderate or high risk of burnout, the highest levels since the questions were introduced to the survey.

Stress and burnout risk may become permanent

Charlie Massey, Chief Executive of the GMC, said: “These results show the extent to which our health services are struggling to recover from the impact of the pandemic, and that NHS backlogs are not just a risk to patients, but also to the health and wellbeing of doctors.

“The danger now is that increased workloads, and the stress and burnout risk that go with them, may become permanent. We’re sharing our data with employers and postgraduate training leads so they can target areas of concern and promote good practice.

“Support for trainees and trainers must be at the heart of future workforce policy decisions, or we risk creating a vicious circle that, ultimately, will adversely affect patients.”

Despite the pressures, around three-quarters of trainees (74%) were satisfied with the quality of their workplace training, describing the teaching as either ‘good’ or ‘very good’.

Trainers were also positive, with 90% saying their enjoyed the role, although less than half (45%) said they were always able to use the time allocated for that purpose.

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