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GMC identifies 4 warning signs for UK medical workforce

The General Medical Council (GMC) has identified 4 critical warning signs for the UK workload which, it says, must be brought to the attention of those responsible for training and workforce planning, in order to retain and attract “the doctors of tomorrow”.

In its State of medical education and practice in the UK 2017 report, the GMC says the supply of new doctors into the UK medical workforce has not kept pace with demand. The number of doctors awarded a licence has remained relatively steady between 2012 and 2017, despite significant increases in demand. In England alone, there has been a 28% increase in emergency department attendances between 2012/2013 and 2016/2017. In general practice, statistics suggest a 15% increase in consultations between 2010/2011 and 2014/2015.

In an effort to meet this growing demand, the UK’s reliance on doctors from overseas continues, ranging from 14% in Northern Ireland to 43% in the East of England. The specialties with the highest reliance on non-UK graduates are obstetrics and gynaecology (55%), ophthalmology (48%), and paediatrics (46%), while in psychiatry and pathology, more than 40% of doctors are from overseas.

And the growing pressure is clearly being felt by doctors. Around a fifth of doctors in training said they felt short of sleep while working. Over 40% rated their workload as ‘heavy’ or ‘very heavy’. This figure rose to 70% among doctors training in emergency medicine. A further 70% of trainers/senior doctors similarly described their workload as ‘heavy’ or ‘very heavy’.

While the GMC pays tribute to the dedication of medical professionals in serving the public, “this level of sacrifice is neither right nor sustainable, and there are clear warning signs within our report that some doctors are being pushed beyond the limit,” the council says.


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