Report into doctors’ workplace conditions makes for ‘depressing reading’

A new report into the workplace experiences of doctors makes for “depressing reading,” the BMA in Northern Ireland has said.

The annual report from the General Medical Council describes worsening job satisfaction and burnout, with doctors often resorting to reducing their working hours for their own wellbeing and to protect patient care.

Dr Clodagh Corrigan, deputy chair of British Medical Association Council, commented: “The report makes for very depressing reading. The results for Northern Ireland are considerably worse than in the rest of the UK, with significantly higher levels of dissatisfaction in some key areas and doctors reporting they are reducing their hours to protect themselves and their patients.”

She said this was not surprising given the “huge pressures” being faced by the health service, with 48% of doctors in Northern Ireland saying they were dissatisfied in their day-to-day work, compared to 39% of doctors in the rest of the UK.

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Over half (55%) of doctors in Northern Ireland also said they found it difficult to provide sufficient care at least once a week, compared to 43% in the rest of the UK.

A total of 52% also said they had witnessed patient safety being compromised compared to 41% in the rest of the UK.

Dr Corrigan added: “It is also disheartening to read that only 30% of doctors in Northern Ireland feel supported by non-clinical managers, compared with 41% of doctors in the rest of the UK, and 49% feel supported by senior medical staff, compared with 61%.”

On Wednesday, there was an outpouring of support towards health workers from ethnic minorities in Northern Ireland after days of racist intimidation on the streets of Belfast.

Dr Corrigan said the GMC report already found that doctors from ethnic minorities, women and disabled doctors felt even more pressure when compared to other colleagues.

“We cannot afford to lose doctors from the health service here through burnout, or because they feel there is no other option than reducing their hours,” she said.

“This unfortunately can put more pressure on other staff, and can mean patients end up waiting even longer for treatment.

“These issues need addressed right across the system. We want to see the Department of Health, employers, regulators and training bodies working together quickly to address these issues so they can support doctors, implement workforce plans and make sure doctors are able to care for patients.”

On Thursday, an organisation representing health and social care leaders in Northern Ireland (NICON) also expressed their shock at the racist attacks witnessed since Saturday.

NICON spokesperson Mark Taylor said: “We highly value our ethnic minority communities who contribute much to our society. More specifically, we highly value our ethnic minority HSC staff. They are part of the very fabric of our health and care system – we are completely dependent on them.

“We spend a lot of time and money attracting skilled and compassionate staff from other parts of the world. Our members have been doing everything we can to support and care for colleagues, and we will redouble our efforts to ensure they feel safe to stay.”

He added: “We welcome the many other voices beyond health and social care who have also set out their support for those who feel threatened by these attacks. To the ringleaders of this violence, we want to highlight that any continuation of the attacks or intimidation will hurt the whole of our society.”