Over half (51%) of newly qualified doctors have concerns about the quality of healthcare provided in their workplace, according to a major new survey by the Medical Protection Society (MPS).
The survey of over 1,000 newly qualified doctors also found that 62% of FY1s had told a fellow trainee about their concerns in confidence. In contrast, of the 48% of FY2s who had concerns about the quality of care, 67% had raised the matter with a clinical manager.
“We must harness this enthusiasm and build an environment which allows junior members of the team to raise concerns about patient safety. It is encouraging to see that those in their second year of training feel confident to report such matters,” said Dr Pallavi Bradshaw, Medicolegal Adviser at MPS.
“Senior clinicians and clinical managers have a responsibility for creating an open culture and an environment where recognition and discussion of care quality issues is routine.”
TIME TO CARE
In addition to concerns about the quality of care 82% of all FY1 doctors reported that they had struggled with long hours in the last 12 months – an increase of 7% from 2013. 85% were working beyond their contracted hours.
Nearly three-quarters (71%) felt they did not have enough time to give patients the care they require and 51% found it hard to manage patients with unrealistic expectations.
“It’s really worrying that so many junior doctors feel they don’t have enough time to give patients the care they need and that many have had to raise concerns over the quality of care,” said Dr Andrew Collier, Co-chair of the BMA Junior Doctor Committee. “This shows that rising workloads are becoming a real barrier to patient care, something which was echoed in a recent BMA survey of doctors.”
60% of all respondents to the study said they chose a career in medicine because they wanted to help people and only 2% said potential future earnings was a driver for entering the profession.
www.mps.org.uk
