The section of text provided is an article highlighting the ongoing staffing crisis in the NHS and the alarming rate at which doctors are leaving the profession prematurely. According to the report, between 15,000 and 23,000 doctors are estimated to have left the NHS in England by September 2023, well before reaching retirement age. The article explores the complex causes of attrition, including pay and financial pressure, burnout and working conditions, diversity and inclusion, and support for professional development. The British Medical Association (BMA) urges the NHS to address these issues to create a more sustainable and supportive environment for its medical staff, ultimately benefiting both doctors and patients.The section of text provided is an article highlighting the ongoing staffing crisis in the NHS and the alarming rate at which doctors are leaving the profession prematurely. According to the report, between 15,000 and 23,000 doctors are estimated to have left the NHS in England by September 2023, well before reaching retirement age. The article explores the complex causes of attrition, including pay and financial pressure, burnout and working conditions, diversity and inclusion, and support for professional development. The British Medical Association (BMA) urges the NHS to address these issues to create a more sustainable and supportive environment for its medical staff, ultimately benefiting both doctors and patients.
For practice managers, understanding the challenges of retaining doctors in the NHS is crucial to maintaining effective healthcare within their practices. The BMA’s latest report highlights the urgent need to address staff turnover to ensure stability and quality of care in primary care settings.
CREDIT: This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared on The BMA
The British Medical Association (BMA) has published a damning report highlighting the ongoing staffing crisis in the NHS, and revealing the alarming rate at which doctors are leaving the profession prematurely. The report, entitled “When a Doctor Leaves”, estimates that between 15,000 and 23,000 doctors will have left the NHS in England in the year to September 2023, well before they reached retirement age.
An untenable situation
According to the General Medical Council’s (GMC) Workplace Experiences Report, one in seven doctors took steps to leave the UK profession in 2022, a sharp increase from one in 14 in 2021. The BMA warns that the NHS cannot simply recruit its way out of this crisis; without tackling retention, attempts to attract new staff will be in vain. Turnover is not only costing the NHS billions, it is also threatening the quality of patient care.
Complex causes of attrition
The reasons for this exodus are multifaceted. The BMA report identifies four primary areas of focus: pay, working conditions, diversity and inclusion, and support for professional development.
Salary and financial pressure
The fight for better pay has been central, with many doctors taking or seeking strike action in recent months. Falling real salaries have prompted many UK-trained doctors to seek opportunities abroad. In addition, significant student debt is affecting the career decisions of recent graduates. The BMA suggests that cancelling debt and covering the costs of compulsory exams could significantly help retain new graduates.
Burnout and working conditions
Poor working conditions and the resulting burnout are major causes of turnover. The GMC found that in 2021, 28% of secondary care doctors and 43% of GPs who took leave from medicine cited burnout and work-related stress as their main reasons. The BMA recommends addressing these issues by ensuring flexible working conditions, designing rotas to accommodate breaks and leave requests, and improving access to occupational and mental health support services.
Diversity and inclusion
While the NHS is praised for its diversity, issues with bullying, harassment and discrimination persist. The BMA’s 2022 report revealed that 9% of respondents left their jobs because of racism in the workplace, and 16% took sick leave or time off because of discrimination. The BMA urges employers to adopt a zero-tolerance approach to harassment and abuse, ensure fair discrimination reporting structures and promote organisation-wide accountability.
Support and professional development
Providing a supportive environment in which physicians can thrive professionally is crucial to retention. This includes better parental leave arrangements, access to childcare, and support for physicians approaching retirement or returning to practice. It is also vital to ensure that physicians with disabilities or long-term health conditions have access to reasonable accommodations.
The NHS retention crisis is an urgent problem that requires immediate and multifaceted solutions. The BMA report makes it clear that without significant efforts to retain doctors, recruitment alone will not solve staff shortages. By addressing the root causes of turnover – pay, working conditions, diversity and inclusion, and professional development – the NHS can create a more sustainable and supportive environment for its medical staff, ultimately benefiting both doctors and patients.
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