Burnout: Why doctors are quitting the NHS

The number of doctors resigning or retiring from the NHS is increasing, analysis by Sky News has revealed.

The rate at which doctors are quitting the health service due to issues with work-life balance has more than doubled over the past decade.

Sky News People and Politics Correspondent Nick Martin has been speaking to a junior doctor who’s planning to leave the NHS this year and a consultant who’s already quit.

#nhs #health #skynews

[eles]

It's a shame it took me more than 8 years to study medicine and at the end, I ended up quitting the job to be a science teacher. What a weird world we live in and how to.survive.

[dizzydaydream]

That doctor didn’t feel valued or supported……..it’s no different for nurses and having been qualified 20 years I left the NHS because of bullying by management and I was absolutely burnt out mentally and physically. It’s an awful place to work, but it could be the most amazing organisation……however, the government don’t care…..they don’t care about the patients, they don’t care about the staff and they don’t care about the NHS as an establishment.

[Linda-otpj]

Hospital workers see so much suffering It’s too much. It’s extremely heavy work. It’s not just doctors. I was a porter. I had to leave . I felt like a tired old horse pushed to my physical limits Seeing human suffering is taxing to your soul

[snsn]

Not just Drs. Everyone is fed up. The abuse from some patients, bullying, stress from workload etc. Etc. Its too much.

[SUSYQ]

As Nurse I retired 2021. Burnout can lead to depression not to mention suppression of the immune system.

[crlpxz]

My ex was a doctor at a prestigious hospital in London. He was incredibly overworked and it took a toll on us both. He has since moved to Australia and his work life balance is unbelievably different to what it was here. He is happier. Lots of doctors are looking to go abroad for their profession. I mean better pay, better structure and respect. NHS has suffered for years. I really do feel for all staff.

[Stevoukos]

I am a physician, not practicing in the UK. I am on the verge of tears every single day at this point.
I am way beyond physical, emotional and mental exhaustion and no one seems to care.
I get paid less than 1.500 euros a month which is barely enough to support my living expenses.
After 11 years of study, I am at the point when I'm just happy when I get a free weekend.
I am about to leave medicine for good.

[rw]

What the Tories have done to this country, is barely shy of criminal. Accountability is the only deterrent to the idiotic greed and arrogance that the elitist political class, has demonstrated.

[louisejoanneadamsdorrico-nypn]

It's just so sad to see the NHS staff having to cope like this it's just heartbreaking 💔😪

[daniels]

I'm German and have studied and finished biology and medicine. I'm also having second thoughts on my decisions because the health care system in Germany is also under increased pressure with people leaving the system and costs overall rising. I'm starting to consider moving to Switzerland to practice.

[bilpat]

NHS hasn't moved with the times, it needs modernising

[poola]

being a patient recently in hospital i can honestly say every nurse was worked off their feet so much i felt guilty taking up their time i felt real sorry for them

[elizabethp.kanizin]

The public would never understand the complication faced by that profession!

[DrErwinKwun]

I'm a GP and have observed colleagues resigning at an alarming rate in the last 6 months. Medicine is a wonderful career but the working condition and chronic stress make the job very challenging. When I signed up for medicine I knew the job required working long hours. However, the sacrifices doctors make due to the demand of work and rota are often at the expense of personal lives. i.e Missed Christmas, birthdays and weddings with loved ones. During my training, I was overworked but kept up with the increasing demand of work and pressure. A few years ago, after a hectic 13.5hr night shift I started to notice the impact of heightened chronic stress, sleepless nights and long hours on my health. Looking back, I was a few months away from a burnout.

[forlatagate]

Everything is collapsing around us, make way for the new world.

[vincentli]

As a doctor from Australia, tens of colleagues from the NHS have told me how poor the system was back in the UK. It is a governmental issue that needs to be fixed, Full qualified Doctors 7-8 years out of a medical degree lasting 6+ years are already paying off heavy student loans. I’ve been told they are living paycheck to paycheck whilst barely paying utility bills and groceries. Whether the doctors are striking or leaving to other countries, it needs to be addressed as many real people have had appointments cancelled with only life threatening services offered.

[kennwan]

10 years and 4 months ago I got diagnosed with reactive arthritis as an 18 year old boy. My first consultation to discuss the possibility of steroids, surgery etc. has been booked for 2027 since. And only god knows how long those treatments will have to wait after that consultation. I have lost my life, my ability to exercise, my ability to walk longer than 15 minutes. It has affected my career prospects, my relationships, just about everything. If that's how bad things are in this country then I'm not suprised the doctors themselves are struggling.

[trutherasitis]

What is righteous has now become evil, and what is evil has now become righteousness.

[squallleonhart]

I'm a nurse, finished school in 2005, and I wanna leave but I don't know where. I'm tired.

[zenongruba]

Oh, I forgot. Our "short"rostered week was 75 hours. Our long week was seven days. Hours worked could be from 72 hours to an entire week. The "carrot" was the reference that the hsopital gave each resident. This "reference" travelled with each job application for the rest of that doctor's life!!!