Doctors' morale low, poll claims

The survey says many doctors have low morale

More than half of doctors suffer from low morale at work and many blame NHS reforms, a survey suggests.

A survey of more than 1,400 doctors found that 69% would not recommend a career in medicine. The same number said morale fell in the last year.

The study for Hospital Doctor magazine found that many doctors blamed government targets and reforms for their ill-feeling.

The government said the poll differed from the latest NHS staff survey.

The Department of Health said the Healthcare Commission's survey suggested that more than 75% of the 8,059 medical staff questioned remain "generally satisfied".

In a statement, it said: "We know that there have been problems with the recruitment process into specialty programmes and apologise for the stress this is causing junior doctors.

"The review group is currently working to ensure that the very best doctors get training posts and that they are recruited into these posts fairly through a transparent application system."

Changing services

Some 54% of those surveyed by Hospital Doctor said morale was "poor" or "terrible".

Only 2% of doctors described their level of morale at work as "excellent".

When asked as to how NHS reforms had affected their morale, 47% said they were unhappy with the government's reconfiguration of hospital services.

These will result in more care moved into the community.

And 63% said changing workloads had damaged morale, while almost half said junior doctors at their NHS trust had "terrible" morale ever since the introduction of changes to specialist training.

Stephen Campion, chief executive of the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association, said the results of the poll left him "saddened".

He said: "Traditionally, many doctors have followed in their parents' footsteps and increasingly we are hearing doctors saying they wished they hadn't recommended a career in medicine to their children.

"This is indicative of the extreme frustration and low morale hospital doctors are feeling."