Amongst paediatricians, the findings included:
- Paediatric trainers are included in the high-risk category with 11% saying they are burnt out, which is a rise of 3% compared to last year.
- 15% of Paediatric trainees say they are burnt out, a rise of 4% from last year.
- 49% of paediatric trainees rated workload as heavy or very heavy in 2022, compared to 36% in 2021. A rise of 13%.
Dr Cathryn Chadwick, Consultant Paediatrician and the College’s Vice President (Training and Assessment), said:
This report describes a deeply worrying picture of increased pressure and exhaustion amongst doctors in training and their supervisors. In last year’s report we saw record high levels of burnout, and even though pandemic recovery is underway, these levels have continued to grow.
We recognise the incredible hard work from all our members maintaining patient care and a commitment to training, but the GMC survey shows that the system is at breaking point.
Burnout is a very serious issue with massive implications for not just the workforce, but also our patients.
As a College, we are working hard to improve flexibility in training with our new curriculum Progress+ and continue to work with statutory education bodies to protect workforce and training during the transition. Furthermore, we are partnering with the Dinwoodie Foundation to support lifelong careers and sustainable working practices.
There needs to be an understanding at all levels of the workforce issues. Not only do we need to protect the current workforce and to prioritise their wellbeing and training, but there also needs to be a joined up approach between service provision and training planning to address the growing workload in paediatric services and the unmet need for children and young people.
It is time to start prioritising the wellbeing of our incredible workforce. Support for trainees and trainers must be at the heart of future workforce policy decisions, and the upcoming NHS workforce plan must be published without further delay, alongside ringfenced multi-year funding.