A new survey has revealed that two in three UK doctors are experiencing 'moral distress' due to the overstretched state of the NHS and the impact of the cost of living crisis on patients' health. The study, conducted by the medical defence organisation MDDUS, found that 65% of doctors overall, including 78% of GPs and 56% of hospital doctors, have encountered situations at work that triggered this distress.
Doctors reported that seeing patients with malnutrition or hypothermia, stuck on trolleys in A&E corridors, or forced to choose between heating their homes and collecting prescriptions contributed to their unease. The inability to provide the standard of care they believe patients need, due to long waits for treatment, staff shortages, or lack of drugs, has left many feeling frustrated and psychologically damaged.
Prof Philip Banfield, chair of the British Medical Association, said: 'There’s barely a doctor at work in the NHS today who doesn’t see or experience this distress on a daily basis.' He added that the NHS is 'impossibly overstretched', with thousands of vacancies and fewer doctors per head of population than Germany.
The survey of 1,671 doctors across the four home nations paints a stark picture of widespread unhappiness. Many medics reported feeling 'burnt out and hopeless', with their wellbeing declining as they grapple with anger, sadness, and depression. Some said they have experienced rows with loved ones, unhealthy eating, increased drinking, or relationship difficulties as a result.
Dr John Holden, chief medical officer of MDDUS, said: 'This research paints an alarming picture of the impact on both doctors’ professional practice and personal wellbeing. The impact moral distress has on emotional wellbeing should not be underestimated.' The findings come amid concerns that working in an overstretched NHS is taking a heavy toll on staff, with NHS England staff taking six million sick days last year due to stress and anxiety.
