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NHS doctor burnout putting patients at risk, BMA told NHS doctor burnout putting patients at risk, BMA told
(3 months later)
Doctors' relationships with patients are coming under strain because rising NHS workloads mean they increasingly suffer from stress and burnout, the British Medical Association (BMA) has been told.Doctors' relationships with patients are coming under strain because rising NHS workloads mean they increasingly suffer from stress and burnout, the British Medical Association (BMA) has been told.
The challenge of discharging all their responsibilities also means that some are retiring early, opting to work abroad and potentially even endangering patients' safety, the BMA's annual conference heard on Tuesday.The challenge of discharging all their responsibilities also means that some are retiring early, opting to work abroad and potentially even endangering patients' safety, the BMA's annual conference heard on Tuesday.
"We are expected to do more in less time and on a smaller budget. Stress and burnout can affect us all: a cross word with a colleague, that poor consultation with the patient, that procedure that seems more difficult than expected," said Dr Jamie Green, a trainee GP in Northampton."We are expected to do more in less time and on a smaller budget. Stress and burnout can affect us all: a cross word with a colleague, that poor consultation with the patient, that procedure that seems more difficult than expected," said Dr Jamie Green, a trainee GP in Northampton.
"But the impact of doctor burnout can be so much more severe. There are safeguards in place for pilots and lorry drivers to prevent them causing loss of live with large, dangerous machines. But how much more dangerous do you want to get than a scalpel or prescription pad?"But the impact of doctor burnout can be so much more severe. There are safeguards in place for pilots and lorry drivers to prevent them causing loss of live with large, dangerous machines. But how much more dangerous do you want to get than a scalpel or prescription pad?
Stress and burnout in doctors can be catastrophic, putting our patients at risk while ruining the careers of our students and doctors at all levels.".Stress and burnout in doctors can be catastrophic, putting our patients at risk while ruining the careers of our students and doctors at all levels.".
Junior doctor Sangeetha Sornalingam said: "Burnout is causing doctors to leave the profession or seek work abroad. It is linked to alcoholism and tragically suicide." GPs and doctors in the early stages of their careers were most at risk, she added.Junior doctor Sangeetha Sornalingam said: "Burnout is causing doctors to leave the profession or seek work abroad. It is linked to alcoholism and tragically suicide." GPs and doctors in the early stages of their careers were most at risk, she added.
"The more stressed I got, the more detached I became from my patients", said Dr Amy Small, a GP in East Lothian. "I started to cut them off while they were talking, trying desperately to ignore the little cues that they dropped indicating they had things they really needed to talk about. I felt their care was starting to suffer. I wasn't the doctor I wanted or aspired to be.""The more stressed I got, the more detached I became from my patients", said Dr Amy Small, a GP in East Lothian. "I started to cut them off while they were talking, trying desperately to ignore the little cues that they dropped indicating they had things they really needed to talk about. I felt their care was starting to suffer. I wasn't the doctor I wanted or aspired to be."
Small, who is 32, added: "There's no way I could continue to work at this pace for the next two years, never mind the next 35."Small, who is 32, added: "There's no way I could continue to work at this pace for the next two years, never mind the next 35."
Tom Berry, chair of the BMA's junior doctors committee in Scotland, said: "You cannot train, you cannot learn, you cannot be at your best if you are too tired to remember your own name."Tom Berry, chair of the BMA's junior doctors committee in Scotland, said: "You cannot train, you cannot learn, you cannot be at your best if you are too tired to remember your own name."
The Department of Health said it recognised that the NHS was responding well to the health challenges posed by ageing because "doctors are working extremely hard and continue to provide a high quality of care in the face of rising healthcare demands".The Department of Health said it recognised that the NHS was responding well to the health challenges posed by ageing because "doctors are working extremely hard and continue to provide a high quality of care in the face of rising healthcare demands".
"We have invested in 6,000 more doctors and are increasing the number of GPs to provide people with care in the local community and away from hospital", a spokeswoman said."We have invested in 6,000 more doctors and are increasing the number of GPs to provide people with care in the local community and away from hospital", a spokeswoman said.
The chair of the BMA's GPs committee also claims that family doctors are being forced to ask patients irrelevant questions of no medical significance as part of "oppressive box-ticking and micromanagement" in the NHS.The chair of the BMA's GPs committee also claims that family doctors are being forced to ask patients irrelevant questions of no medical significance as part of "oppressive box-ticking and micromanagement" in the NHS.
Dr Laurence Buckman will ask the conference on Wednesday: "Why am I now asking large numbers of patients if they do gardening, or old people with Zimmer frames if they go cycling? And why are we testing healthy people in their thirties for blood pressure problems when there is little evidence this group is suffering from this condition?"Dr Laurence Buckman will ask the conference on Wednesday: "Why am I now asking large numbers of patients if they do gardening, or old people with Zimmer frames if they go cycling? And why are we testing healthy people in their thirties for blood pressure problems when there is little evidence this group is suffering from this condition?"
Buckman will also accuse the health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, of responding to growing problems in the NHS with "cheap soundbites and vacuous political point scoring", such as wrongly blaming GPs and out-of-hours services for rising attendances at A&E units. "General practice is stretched beyond capacity, saddled with box-ticking administration, unrealistic workload and declining resources", he will say.Buckman will also accuse the health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, of responding to growing problems in the NHS with "cheap soundbites and vacuous political point scoring", such as wrongly blaming GPs and out-of-hours services for rising attendances at A&E units. "General practice is stretched beyond capacity, saddled with box-ticking administration, unrealistic workload and declining resources", he will say.
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