Doctors retiring early

SIR – Much has been said about training new doctors to solve the NHS staffing crisis.

There are 100,000 vacancies across the NHS. Training doctors is important in the long term, but it does not solve the problem in the short term.

The NHS is run and delivered by consultants. However, the quickest time in which a consultant can be trained is 14 years. A comprehensive look at NHS staffing must consider staff retention as well as training.

Doctors’ early retirement has trebled since 2008. GPs and hospital medics are currently retiring at an average age of just 59. And nearly a quarter of family doctors in England are expected to leave within the next few years.

While there are many reasons for this, pensions feature notably. At a time when we need senior doctors to work above and beyond, with eyewatering waiting lists, the pension tax legislation is forcing some to go part-time, or at least turn down the extra work. A quick, effective solution is for the Government to change the pension scheme for senior doctors, as it had to for the judicial service.

Dr Pete Ford

Consultant anaesthetist

Exeter, Devon

SIR – Many GPs complain of “burnout”.

I was a GP in a two-person practice in the 1970s and 1980s. I was on call every other night and alternate weekends. When my partner went on holiday I was on call every day, every night and at weekends.

There were no mobile phones. After a night visit, I would use a telephone box to call my wife and ask if other patients had been in touch. Sometimes I went home to find another visit awaiting me. I managed.

In my view the advent of large practice groups joining up, and agencies providing out-of-hours cover, were the beginning of the end for general practice.

Dr Anthony Hawks

Clevedon, Somerset