More than one in four junior doctors feel they do not have the time to deliver the high quality care patients deserve, according to a survey by the BMA.
Half said there was a problem with staffing shortages in their workplaces which has an impact on care delivery. Rising levels of stress are also revealed among trainees who are struggling to find a decent work-life balance.
The research was part of the BMA Cohort Study which follows the career pathways of 430 doctors who graduated in 2006 over a 10-year period. For the first time this year, participants were asked questions on workplace morale and well-being.
Of the 376 respondents, 105 doctors (28%) said they did not have the time to deliver the quality of care patients deserve. It also finds 44 per cent of doctors feel their stress levels have become worse or much worse in the past year.
“It is shocking that one in four junior doctors feel they do not have the time to offer the highest quality of care to patients,” said BMA Junior Doctor Committee Chair Ben Molyneux.
“Sadly, it is not surprising when you discover that so many doctors in training are working in unacceptable, stressful environments where understaffing is commonplace.”
The study also found that two in five doctors say there are ‘feelings of negativity’ in their workplace and that six in ten think changes to the NHS have harmed morale.
