The GMC’s annual national training survey, completed by more than 67,000 UK doctors – all either trainees or trainers – reveals a continuing worsening trend in answers to questions about workload and burnout.

While most trainees rated the quality of their training highly, and nine in ten trainers said they enjoyed their roles, the risk of burnout is now at its worst since it was first tracked in 2018. The GMC is calling for clinicians’ wellbeing and training to be at the heart of workforce planning as health services continue their post-pandemic recovery.

Last year’s report showed how the COVID-19 pandemic had reversed previous improvements, prompting a warning by the regulator that it should be a blip rather than part of a ‘new normal’. But data in this year’s report shows the situation has deteriorated further, as backlogs in UK health services take a toll on doctors.

Two-thirds of trainee doctors said they ‘always’ or ‘often’ felt worn out at the end of a working day, while nearly half (44%) were regularly ‘exhausted in the morning at the thought of another day at work’.

Analysis of the results by the GMC shows that 63% of trainees, and 52% of doctors who work as trainers, are at moderate or high risk of burnout, the highest levels since the questions were introduced to the survey.

 

Charlie Massey, Chief Executive of the GMC, said:

‘These results show the extent to which our health services are struggling to recover from the impact of the pandemic, and that NHS backlogs are not just a risk to patients, but also to the health and wellbeing of doctors.

‘The danger now is that increased workloads, and the stress and burnout risk that go with them, may become permanent. We’re sharing our data with employers and postgraduate training leads so they can target areas of concern and promote good practice.

‘Support for trainees and trainers must be at the heart of future workforce policy decisions, or we risk creating a vicious circle that, ultimately, will adversely affect patients.’

Trainees in all medical specialties showed an increased risk of burnout compared to last year. The highest rate was in Emergency Medicine, with 32% of doctors in training at high risk of burnout, up from 21% in 2021.

Despite the pressures, around three-quarters of trainees (74%) were satisfied with the quality of their workplace training, describing the teaching as either ‘good’ or ‘very good’.

Trainers were also positive, with 90% saying their enjoyed the role, although less than half (45%) said they were always able to use the time allocated for that purpose.

The national training survey 2022 results report is available online.