The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh is alarmed at the revelations contained in the leaked national survey results as described in the Health Service Journal. President of the College, Professor Michael Griffin, said:
At a time when the pressures of the pandemic are still upon us, and the backlog of elective care is causing further stress for clinical and non-clinical staff alike, it is deeply concerning to see such a steep drop in the number who think their health and wellbeing is being supported by their NHS employer.
Stress, burnout, bullying and poor workplace culture are the biggest driver of clinicians leaving the medical profession in the UK, well above retirement. With workforce shortages biting we need to focus on supporting our people to remain within the NHS first and foremost. Protecting staff from mental and emotional harm should be the top priority for NHS management at every level. Instead we see a decline by almost ten percentage points in perceptions of wellbeing support and almost a quarter of staff reporting having a negative experience of wellbeing support. This is deeply concerning and must be dealt with as a matter of urgency.