Excessive workloads and high stress levels contribute to ‘impending exodus’
A third (34 per cent) of GPs in the UK are considering retiring from general practice within the next five years, with many more opting to go part-time, move abroad or change profession altogether, according to a survey from the British Medical Association (BMA).
In a national poll of 15,560 family doctors, 71 per cent said that excessive workload was having a negative impact on their commitment to being a GP, while 43 per cent complained of having too little time with patients.
Around one in five (19 per cent) trainee GPs said they were considering working abroad in the next five years, which Chaand Nagpaul, chair of BMA GPs committee said was “worrying” for the future of the service.
Meanwhile, three in 10 full-time GPs were said to be considering working part-time hours instead, according to the report.
The BMA said the fact that of those GPs considering retirement in the next five years, 36 per cent were aged 50-54 and five per cent were between 41 and 49 years old, which showed the significant number people looking to take early retirement.
However 82 per cent of GPs looking to retire are aged 60 or over, and 79 per cent of personnel were aged between 55 and 59 years old, which suggests that some loss of workforce would be through natural wastage.
While 68 per cent of GPs said the significant amount of work related stress was “manageable,” one in six (16 per cent) felt unable to cope.
Many of the GPs surveyed (54 per cent) said unresourced work had been moved to general practice, causing increased pressure on the already pressed services. Nearly all of respondents (93 per cent) said heavy workloads impacted the quality of patient care across the country and called for longer consultations for certain groups of patients, including those with long-term conditions.
“Many GPs do not feel they have enough time to spend with their patients and that these intense pressures are beginning to damage local services,” said Nagpaul.
“It is clear that incredible pressures on GP services are at the heart of this problem, with escalating demand having far outstripped capacity.
“GPs are overworked and intensely frustrated that they do not have enough time to spend with their patients, especially the increasing numbers of older people with multiple and complex problems who need specialised care,” he added.
The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) has said that 10,000 more GPs are needed across the UK by 2020, and has called on the NHS to increase spending on general practice from 8.3 per cent to 11 per cent to help GPs with growing demand.