Doctors At ‘Breaking Point’ and Looking to Quit in Unprecedented Numbers , GMC Warns

Doctors adopting ‘risky and unsustainable’ compromises to maintain patient care and looking to quit NHS in ‘unprecedented numbers’, regulator says



Unchecked rise in older, sicker patients causing doctors to quit NHS in 'unprecedented numbers', watchdog warns ( PA )
Patient safety is being put at risk by doctors on the “brink of breaking point” thanks to out of control NHS pressures, the UK’s medical regulator has warned.

Ministers are running out of time to act as patient numbers continue to rise and staff are forced to make “risky compromises” to training and care, the General Medical Council (GMC) said.

With doctors at the limit of what can be done safely, the GMC warns doctors are looking to quit the health service in “unprecedented numbers”.

In its report on the state of medical training and practise, a survey of more than 2,600 doctors revealed one in five are considering quitting Britain to work abroad in the next three years.

A similar number are considering working part time and many more are eyeing up early retirement, despite being in the middle of their career.

“The UK is running out of time to prevent a significant decline in workforce numbers, which risks patient safety,” the authors said.

“The health system now faces a decline in what can be offered and how it is offered by doctors who are prioritising and compromising their work in an effort to maintain standards of care for their patients.”

It sets out that doctors are adapting to cope with pressures but warns these strategies are “risky or unsustainable”.

“The medical profession is at the brink of a breaking point in trying to maintain standards and deliver good patient care,” the report adds.

A rising number of patients with complex health conditions along with a shortage of experienced staff and an unprecedented funding squeeze have heaped further pressure on the NHS.

To cope with the pressures, medical teams are neglecting training and adopting strategies which “prioritise immediate patient care and safety”, such as making an unnecessary referrals or bypassing clinical checklists in order to get through the workload, it added.

Meanwhile doctors “acting up” or “acting down” – performing duties beyond or below their expertise – is becoming “normalised”, the report adds.

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