1-in-5 NHS doctors considering leaving UK

THE Government's pledge to cut hospital waiting lists is at risk unless more is done to retain doctors in the NHS, the medical regulator has warned.

- ELLA PICKOVER

Almost one in five (19%) of doctors are considering quitting being a doctor in the UK, the General Medical Council (GMC) said.

One in eight (12%) are considering leaving the UK to work abroad, according to GMC figures. The main reason given for considering a move was that doctors are “treated better” in other countries, with an increase in pay cited as the second most common reason for plans to emigrate. Overall, some 43% of doctors told the GMC that they had researched career opportunities in other countries.

Some 15% of doctors reported they had taken “hard steps” towards leaving UK practice - such as applying for roles overseas or contacting recruiters. “We must be alive to the ongoing risks to retention of doctors and the impact of losing talented staff,” the authors of the GMC’s latest report wrote. “This could threaten Government ambitions to reduce waiting times and deliver better care to patients.”