Thousands of doctors planning to leave UK's National Health Service after Covid pandemic, survey reveals
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The survey found that 31.9 per cent doctors said that their career goals had changed over the last year while adding that they were more likely to retire early
Thousands of doctors in the United Kingdom are planning to leave the country’s National Health Service owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, a new survey has revealed. The survey was undertaken by the British Medical Association and took into account 5,521 doctors working in the NHS.
The survey found that 31.9 per cent doctors said that their career goals had changed over the last year while adding that they were more likely to retire early. According to the study, a quarter doctors are planning to take a career break while a fifth are considering leaving the NHS to pursue a career in other fields.
The survey cited working conditions including long hours, increasing demand and unpleasant working conditions which have played a prominent role in the outlook shared by medical professionals in the country.
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At least 25 per cent people are planning to take a career break, while 21 per cent want to leave the NHS to pursue something else. 17 per cent showed interest in working in a different country and 15 per cent showed interested in becoming a locus.
Half of the respondents were cited by The Guardian as saying that they are likely to reduce their working hours as the pandemic eases in the country.
45 per cent doctors cited workload while personal wellbeing was cited by 43 per cent medical professionals working in the NHS. In addition 29 per cent took pay into consideration while 22 per cent attributed their decision to the working conditions. Out of the respondents, 22 per cent blamed the culture in their workplace.
Critics fear that the doctors leaving the NHS in bulk would make it really difficult to manage the backlog of cases that currently plague the National Health Service in the United Kingdom. The Guardian estimates that 4.7 million patients are on the waiting list for treatment, the highest number ever.