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During the Spring of 2023, in a drive towards greater understanding of the factors affecting doctors’ mental health, Medical Protection conducted a survey of our members around the world.
The results are now in and they reveal an urgent need for greater support. They also suggest a number of ways in which Medical Protection can help – whether by lobbying healthcare employers and governments to tackle the issue, or through our own range of wellbeing services and independent counselling.
The support we provide goes beyond protecting your career and reputation against cases and claims. We are here to support your wellbeing too.
The reality, as demonstrated by our survey findings, is that doctors all around the world are grappling with mental wellbeing concerns due to the immense pressures and challenges they face daily.
Nearly half (46%) of the 861 respondents to our survey said their mental wellbeing was worse at that point than it was during the pandemic.
We know many of the mental wellbeing issues members have experienced in the aftermath of COVID-19 are complex. Some 43% told us that not being able to do the right thing for patients, or ‘moral injury’, was impacting their mental wellbeing. Some cited the impact of exhaustion (47%) or staff shortages (54%) on patient safety.
‘One member had a handful of hair ripped out, another was backed up against a wall. Others have been threatened and spat at.’
Others said violence or intimidation from patients or their relatives was affecting their mental wellbeing, and described the deplorable behaviour they have faced. One member had a handful of hair ripped out, another was backed up against a wall, others have been threatened and spat at.
More than half of the survey respondents (56%) said they had experienced or witnessed verbal or physical abuse from patients or their relatives in the past 12 months, with staff shortages and the long referral waiting list fueling most incidents.
We know that experiencing and witnessing incidents of abuse can have a lasting and profound impact on mental wellbeing and we will continue to challenge the notion that abuse is now somehow ‘part of the job’.
Poor mental wellbeing – due to a range of factors – not only puts individual healthcare professionals at risk, it can also disrupt healthcare teams and patient care in a variety of ways. Without support, healthcare professionals may need extended periods of time off work or consider leaving the profession altogether. Worryingly, in our survey 43% of respondents told us they were considering their future in healthcare due to mental wellbeing concerns.
Over the past year we have called for a number of steps to be taken to ensure members get the mental wellbeing support they need, to continue to perform at their best for patients and enjoy their careers in medicine for longer. For example, we continue to challenge the decision to scale back funding for the 40 NHS Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing Hubs which were established across the UK during the height of COVID-19. And we called on NHS England to ensure the NHS Workforce Plan included comprehensive steps to retain the many passionate, committed doctors currently in the workforce but on the verge of quitting due to mental wellbeing concerns.
On the issue of abuse, we have called for the zero-tolerance policy to be more rigorously enforced right across the NHS. Healthcare professionals deserve to feel their safety is a priority and should be empowered to report all abusive behaviour. We have also urged all healthcare settings to provide an appropriate forum where those who witness or experience any kind of abuse from patients can talk about it and seek appropriate wellbeing support.
Medical Protection’s work to raise awareness of how mental wellbeing concerns are affecting members, patients and the healthcare workforce will continue. We began this campaign prior to the recent election and will continue to urge this new government to take steps to help protect members’ wellbeing.
We would encourage any members struggling with work-related stress, or stress that they feel could impact their practice, to make use of our 24/7 telephone counselling service. It is independent – provided by our trusted partners ICAS – confidential and is a benefit of membership with Medical Protection: Counselling service for members - confidential and 24/7 (medicalprotection.org)