LONDON: A recent report from the General Medical Council raises concerns about the future of workforce of doctors http://www.gmc-uk.org/stateofmed. Referring to the current status, it has been mentioned that from 2022–23, the number of doctors grew at the fastest rate. Last year, over two thirds of joiners were non-UK graduates, up from just under half in 2017. And there are now more doctors from an ethnic minority background on the register than white doctors.
One of the biggest drivers of the current changes is linked to the increase in recent years of doctors joining from abroad. The growth in non-UK graduates means there are now a significant number of doctors in the workforce that are new to the UK. Overall, nearly one out of ten doctors working in 2023 had obtained their licence to practise that year.
Despite acute system pressure, medicine continues to be an attractive career and the UK a desirable place to practice—as the growth to the register demonstrates. But it’s also becoming clear that the infrastructure to train and support doctors is struggling to keep pace with their increasing numbers. Clinical and educational supervisors are reporting unsustainably high workloads and are struggling to cope. More than half are at high risk of burnout.
These concerns highlights the UK’s risks for wasting the talents of tens of thousands of overlooked and undervalued doctors, to the detriment of patient care. Charlie Massey, Chief Executive of the GMC, warned that “without changing the way we think about training, the UK risks sleepwalking into a situation where these doctors are overlooked and undervalued, to the detriment of good patient care”. The report indicates a rising growth in the number of doctors with an increase in doctors joining from abroad, principally India and Pakistan. Last year, more than two-thirds of new joiners came to the UK from abroad, compared to under half in 2017. Between 2016 and 2023, the number of doctors on the medical register from an ethnic minority background increased by 78%. Around one third of all doctors are now Asian or Asian British and, for the first time, the UK now has more doctors from ethnic minority backgrounds than white doctors.
The state of medical education and practice in the UK Workforce report 2024 emphasises that doctors in GMC-approved training roles are also under pressure, and in need of greater support. It is estimated that up to one in four are at high risk of burnout. The GMC warns the infrastructure to train and support doctors across the UK is already struggling to keep pace with growing numbers. Urgent action is needed to provide proper access to training for an increasingly diverse workforce.
The report recommends that heading towards the next decade, it’s critical that all doctors have the infrastructure, support and resources they need to achieve their ambitions. That’s in their interests, but also the interests of a growing and ageing population, who have never needed their skills more.
