05.05.11
Doctors surveyed about the NHS
A survey suggests that many GPs are not happy with the current state of the NHS. Out of 576 doctors questioned, 35% are planning to leave, or retire, in the next five years.
Conducted for Pulse magazine, the results also show that 46% of doctors suffer from stress, 19% from anxiety and 7% from depression.
Some may blame recent government reforms, as 71% of the sample stated that the Government’s Health Bill has either ‘slightly damaged’ or ‘greatly damaged’ their morale.
Head of the British Medical Association, Dr Hamish Meldrum, told Pulse: "Morale isn't that good when it comes to things like pay, the threats to pensions and the various other things that are going on in the NHS.”
A majority of the GPs said they felt that general practice is not moving in the right direction, with 63% selecting this option. Other questions recorded opinion of working hours, the amount of time spent with patients and overall level of NHS care.
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