Thousands of doctors could be considering leaving UK practice and moving abroad, according to new research from the General Medical Council.
The GMC conducted a survey of more than 3,000 doctors asking how likely they were to move abroad to practise medicine in the next 12 months, and 13% said this was very likely. A further 17% said this was fairly likely.
If these groups did leave the UK, this would amount to 96,000 doctors leaving the UK over the next year, the GMC estimated.
GMC chief executive Charlie Massey said the survey results were a “stark reminder of the challenges” health trusts face in the UK, adding that healthcare leaders should use the insights to target interventions and improve conditions.
Doctor workforce
GMC’s 2023 annual report showed that the number of doctors joining the UK workforce was double the number leaving every year since 2019, but was not enough to keep up with workloads or the increase in those leaving.
Its latest survey found there to be six groups of doctors based on their attitudes towards staying in the UK health service: those with “deep discontent” who are most likely to leave in the next year; sceptics who are concerned about working conditions and the UK healthcare system; those who are burnt out; those who are interested in the career progression advantages of moving abroad; doctors who are open to opportunity and could seek a new challenge abroad; and those who are happy in the UK.
The GMC advises healthcare managers to focus on the top three most discontent groups, as this would have the highest chance of boosting workforce retention.
More than 75% of doctors reported feeling under-valued professionally, saying they were concerned with pay.
Junior doctors staged a five-day strike in February – the 10th round of strike action by junior doctors – after the Department of Health failed to put a new pay offer on the table.
The GMC’s survey also polled more than 1,100 doctors who had moved abroad since 2018. A fifth had moved to Australia, and one in 10 had moved to New Zealand. Around a third returned to their home country after a period working in the NHS.
Massey added: “Though the number of doctors actually leaving to practise abroad in 2023 was comparably low, these findings are a warning to all should conditions fail to improve.
“It’s much easier to dissuade someone from leaving by acting upon concerns, than to persuade them to return.
“There are no easy fixes, but these findings highlight the urgency with which we must act. We must work together as a system to make informed changes so the talented professionals keeping our nation well feel supported to continue working in the UK.”
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