Leading doctor warns of mental health crisis in NHS

A leading doctor has warned of a mental health crisis facing medics in the NHS, with rising numbers seeking help for severe stress, burnout and other mental health issues.

Dr Ananta Dave, a chief medical officer in the West Midlands and expert in mental health, told i that one doctor takes their own life every three weeks in England and one nurse every week.

Dr Dave (inset) said: “These are figures we cannot shy away from. They are hard-hitting and very, very sad when you have people providing treatment, care and hope to others feel like this about their own life and career.”

The ability of the health service to look after its own staff came under the spotlight this week after NHS England announced it was going to axe funding for hospital and other secondary care staff seeking help from NHS Practitioner Health (NHSPH).

The specialist clinic – a free, confidential service for doctors and dentists across England with mental illness and addiction problems – was set up over a decade ago.

Dozens of medics took to social media with “heartbreaking, personal stories” about how they came to need the help of the clinic.

Within 48 hours NHS England announced a U-turn and the service will continue until at least 31 March next year while a review is carried out.

Some 6.4 million working days were lost in the NHS last year due to staff absence, according to Department for Work and Pensions figures. About a third of all NHS staff sickness is down to mental health problems, the biggest single category.

Data also show that the suicide rate among medical professionals is 24 per cent higher than the national average.