Give trainees more support to avoid burnout says MDU

A survey of 67,000 doctors in training which shows worrying levels of burnout and exhaustion among the medical profession should concern us all, the Medical Defence Union (MDU) said today.

The GMC’s annual National Training Survey found that the risk of burnout among medical trainees is now at its worst since it was first tracked in 2018.

Dr Udvitha Nandasoma, MDU head of advisory services, said:

“With doctors still under pressure as the NHS tries to catch up with pandemic backlogs, it is imperative that doctors in training get the support they need to avoid the risk of burnout. After all, medical trainees are the future of the NHS.

“Sadly, this report is one of a series of findings showing the increasing risks of burnout and exhaustion affecting medical professionals. According to the report, doctors in emergency medicine and GPs seem to be particularly badly affected.

“Earlier this year, one in four doctors responding to our survey on sleep patterns said tiredness was affecting their ability to safely care for patients. Some of those surveyed described errors they had made at the end of busy shifts where they had not had the time to eat or drink.

“It’s a tribute to doctors that such mistakes are few and far between with the vast majority of patients cared for efficiently, safely and with compassion. But you have to question how long this can go on for when so many doctors in training are feeling exhausted. It is heartening however that the majority of trainees rated the quality of their training highly.

“At the MDU, we have a programme of support in place for trainees including access to medico-legal advice 24-hours a day, a peer support programme and online resources aimed at supporting doctors at risk of burnout.”