A new report on preventing doctor burnout in Scotland has urged politicians to take a preventive approach, warning that current pressures threaten both doctors\u2019 wellbeing and patient care.<\/p>\n
The research, by the Medical & Dental Defence Union of Scotland (MDDUS), found that 66% of doctors surveyed in Scotland said they had experienced burnout or were currently affected by it.<\/p>\n
The report, Wellbeing by Design, calls for systemic change in the NHS to better protect doctors\u2019 health. Leaders from royal colleges, the British Medical Association (BMA), and MDDUS are urging the Scottish Government to act ahead of the Holyrood elections in May.<\/p>\n
Chris Kenny, chief executive of MDDUS, said the report offered politicians \u201ca blueprint for change\u201d.<\/p>\n
He said the current system lacked \u201cthe structures needed to protect staff and support safe practice\u201d, adding that doctors\u2019 wellbeing was inseparable from patient wellbeing.<\/p>\n
Five Key Recommendations<\/h2>\n
The report makes five recommendations, including commissioning a comprehensive national review of doctors\u2019 wellbeing and its impact on patient safety, quality of care, and workforce retention.<\/p>\n
It also suggests setting and publishing a measurable national target to improve doctor wellbeing and reduce burnout, reported annually to Parliament and guaranteeing safe workloads, predictable rotas, rest spaces, and protected learning time so individuals and teams can deliver sustainable care.<\/p>\n
Niall Dickson, independent chair of the expert group and former chief executive of the General Medical Council, described the report as \u201ca call to arms\u201d.<\/p>\n
He said meaningful change would require \u201cclear commitment\u201d rather than a short-term \u201ccrisis response\u201d. Many of the proposals, he added, had been implemented elsewhere and could be delivered without significant additional resources.<\/p>\n
Without a shift to \u201cwellbeing by design\u201d, Mr Dickson warned, Scotland would continue to lose experienced clinicians, with consequences for patients.<\/p>\n
Views From Clinicians<\/h2>\n
Professor Lindsey Pope, a Greenock GP and medical educationalist at the University of Glasgow, said: \u201cPatients need doctors who can practise medicine in conditions that protect their wellbeing rather than test it. That requires systems and workplaces built with wellbeing in mind from the outset. Any incoming government that wants to sustain patient services will need to accept that reality.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr Iain Kennedy, chairman of BMA Scotland, said the association welcomed the report, noting that demands on NHS staff had risen steadily in recent years.<\/p>\n
He cited recent survey findings showing that one in four doctors described their workload as unmanageable, while two-thirds said work was harming their wellbeing. He also warned that long-standing pressures in general practice continued to drive excessive workloads.<\/p>\n
Kennedy said burnout and stress were contributing to doctors reducing hours or leaving the NHS, increasing risks to workforce stability and patient care.<\/p>\n
Health Secretary Neil Gray said the Scottish Government recognised the \u201ctremendous pressures\u201d faced by staff and was working with health boards to limit excessive hours and long shifts.<\/p>\n
He said more than \u00a32.5 million was provided annually through boards for national wellbeing programmes and that the government would \u201ccarefully consider\u201d the MDDUS report.<\/p>\n
Gray also pointed to the Future Medical Workforce project, which involved more than 2000 doctors, and said its next phase would focus on turning insights into action, with progress to be discussed at a parliamentary event in February.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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