Toxic workplaces pushing GPs out of UK practice

GPs are leaving UK practice over workplace incidents rather than due to falling ‘out of love’ with the profession, the General Medical Council (GMC) has warned.

Speaking to the NHS Providers conference (16 November), chief executive Charlie Massey said that many specialty and associate specialist (SAS) and locally employed (LE) doctors feel their careers are being ‘curtailed’ and that they ‘can’t tolerate the environments’ in which they work.

He cited new GMC research into doctors’ migration which identified poor workplace conditions and ‘negative experiences with colleagues’ as a ‘far more impactful’ as a trigger compared to poor experiences with patients.

According to the research, bullying at work, lack of respect from line managers and experiences of favouritism ‘provided the nudge for them to consider making a change and migrating abroad’.

Mr Massey said: "This is a senseless waste of talent, not least because these issues are preventable. With a focus on compassionate, supportive cultures, they can be put right. This will not only improve doctors’ wellbeing, but also their productivity. Happier workers are better workers, and they deliver better results."

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Source: Healthcare Leader, 16 November 2022