Responding to the publication of the GMC’s 2024 National Training Survey, BMA workforce lead Dr Latifa Patel said:
“Today’s survey of doctors in training and their trainers shows in stark detail the challenge underlying the Government’s plans to expand the medical workforce. Greater numbers of medical students and postgraduate doctors will require greater capacity to train them, and the system is already creaking at the seams.
“Fully half of the doctors we rely on to train future doctors, whether in medical school or working in hospitals or community settings, continue to show a high risk of burnout. Over a fifth of those they train similarly report being at high risk of burning out. This is hardly surprising given the current state of our NHS, but gives a warning to the Government that the workforce will struggle to accommodate large numbers of new trainees without funding the academics, medical educators and facilities required to realise those promises.
“It is also concerning to see a decline since 2022 (69% to 63%) in the proportion of trainees agreeing that their posts gave them opportunities to develop their leadership skills. Doctors across the country know that as the pressures on the health service mount, the opportunity to spend time developing each individual as a future leader is often compromised. A future expanded workforce will need leaders and the warning signs are there that these are not being given room to emerge in the present.
“While some of these trends show slight improvement, the overall picture is that postgraduate training is still in a troubling place. If not addressed now, plans to provide the future expanded workforce that we need risk foundering on the rocks of a burnt out, underdeveloped and overstretched trainee cohort.”
Notes to editors
The BMA is a professional association and trade union representing and negotiating on behalf of all doctors in the UK. A leading voice advocating for outstanding health care and a healthy population. An association providing members with excellent individual services and support throughout their lives.