Skip to content
Login Register

Doctors stressed and overworked, says new GMC report

24 Oct 2019

College President Professor Jackie Taylor has called for government to act now to address the growing workforce crisis in the NHS. The call follows the publication of new research which shows that over two-thirds of doctors work over their rostered hours on a weekly basis.

College President Professor Jackie Taylor has called for government to act now to address the growing workforce crisis in the NHS. The call follows the publication of new research which shows that over two-thirds of doctors work over their rostered hours on a weekly basis.

The report, published today by the General Medical Council (GMC), also reveals that over a quarter of doctors feel unable to cope with their workload on a weekly basis, while one in eight have taken a leave of absence due to stress in the last year.

The findings are revealed in the GMC’s “The state of medical education and practice in the UK”, which is available today (Thursday 24th October).

Speaking following the publication of the report, Professor Taylor said:

“This report makes stark reading, but the results will not come as a surprise to our Fellows and Members. Doctors on the front line of our health service are bearing the burden of this workforce crisis every day of their working lives.

“Shortages of medical staff are now depressingly commonplace throughout the NHS. Not only is this causing short-term staffing challenges in filling rota gaps, but these results show that absence due to work-related stress is a major issue.. We need to address the root causes of these challenges. This is not just about the wellbeing of our members, it’s essential to ensure that our patients continue to receive safe, high quality care.

“This is why our College has called for government to increase the number of medical school places, in order to put in place a long-term solution to this crisis. While we wait for these new doctors to be trained for the NHS, urgent measures are also required now to ensure that we retain the workforce that we do have. This means action now to improve the workplace environment, to develop a much more flexible approach to training and working, and to sort out the punitive taxation rules for pensions.

“Our College will continue our work to keep these issues at the top of the agenda, and to encourage government and employers to take the action necessary to rectify this crisis.”

Categories: Wellbeing, Workforce


Share this story:

Latest news and statements

Key priority areas

Workforce Recovery and Transformation
Health services in many parts of the world are over-stretched due to workforce shortages, rising demand for services and difficulties in retaining staff.
Read more
Wellbeing
A healthy healthcare workforce is essential for patient care. When the workforce is exhausted, experiencing burnout, and struggling to balance their work and personal lives, it impacts on everyone.
Read more
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
We are committed to standing up for equality, diversity and inclusion. We want our College to reflect the diversity in the NHS workforce and in the patients that we care for.
Read more
Climate Change and Sustainability
Climate change has caused great harm to our planet and warnings of increasingly extreme heatwaves, droughts and flooding will all place a significant burden on our health outcomes.
Read more
Health Inequalities
The health inequalities in our society have been both highlighted and exacerbated by the covid pandemic. There is a need to do things differently.
Read more
COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on the lives of healthcare professionals, and the urgent need to learn whilemfocusing on delivering the best care for our patients has been an enormous challenge.
Read more

Topics


Archive


Key links



Contact us

rcpsg@grayling.com
07714307976

Log in

Log in to access your Dashboard, book events, pay your subscriptions and access eLearning material.

Log in

Register an account

New users must register before logging in. You do not need to be a member of the College in order to register.

Register

Help

Having difficulty registering or logging in? Forgotten your username or password?

Get Help