Exodus of doctors ‘could leave NHS at breaking point’
THE NHS is facing a staffing crisis that could leave it at ‘breaking point’ as thousands of doctors prepare to quit the profession, a major report warned last night.
An alarming 21 per cent of all doctors plan to retire within the next three years and 23 per cent are planning to move abroad, according to the General Medical Council – the doctors’ regulator.
Mounting pressures on hospitals and GP surgeries, a growing blame culture and uncertainties over Brexit mean many doctors are looking for an escape route from the NHS.
The service is already struggling to find an extra 10,000 doctors to fill empty posts, but the rate at which doctors plan to leave could have a major impact on patient care.
The 150-page report, which analysed staffing patterns and surveyed 2,600 doctors, said: ‘The medical profession is at the brink of a breaking point in trying to maintain standards and deliver good patient care. We are at risk of doctors leaving clinical practice in unprecedented numbers.’
The GMC said its polling of older doctors was particularly concerning – with two-thirds of over-55s planning early retirement. ‘The UK is running out of time to prevent a significant decline in workforce numbers, which risks patient safety,’ the authors warned.
Some 31 per cent of doctors said they wanted to cut their hours, 19 per cent said they were considering going part time, 14 per cent moving to the private sector and 13 per cent taking a career break. Many said they were sick of the blame culture at the heart of the NHS. The findings come in the
wake of the controversy over trainee doctor Hadiza BawaGarba, who was reinstated earlier this year after being struck off by the GMC over the death of sixyear-old Jack Adcock in 2011.
The regulator acknowledged the case had been a ‘lightning rod’ for medics angry at being blamed for mistakes made under pressure. It
said: ‘Doctors are concerned that individual clinicians are being held accountable for system pressures. They fear they are getting the blame when things go wrong.’
The report adds that doctors are treating a rising number of patients, some with multiple complex health conditions, while dealing with staff shortages and system
pressures including targets and administrative duties. These have led to longer hours and a deterioration of work-life balance.
Professor Sir Terence Stephenson, chairman of the GMC, said: ‘Doctors are telling us clearly that the strain that the system is under is having a direct effect on them, and on their plans to continue
working in that system. The NHS is at a critical juncture.’
Medical groups last night said the report echoed concerns they had been voicing for years.
Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers, said: ‘This is a system under enormous strain which in turn places huge demands on our staff. The current shortage of around 10,000 doctors combined with rising demand adds to the pressure on those currently in post.’
Dr Chaand Nagpaul, chairman of the British Medical Association, said it ‘should serve as a wake-up call to the Government, policymakers and health bosses’.
A Department of Health spokesman said: ‘Doctors are the backbone of the NHS and there are currently record numbers providing patients with excellent, safe care. We are committed to improving doctors’ work-life balance and we are ensuring the NHS has the doctors it needs.’