Covid sparks royal college fears for doctors’ mental health
The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has expressed fears for the mental health of doctors after a survey of members found nearly a fifth (19%) had sought informal mental health support during the pandemic.
One in ten revealed they had taken formal mental health support from either their GP, external services or their employer. 64% feel tired or exhausted, and 48% are worried.
Despite 85% of doctors reporting having had the first dose of a vaccine, only 16% have had both doses. Over half (58%) are either very worried or slightly worried about having to wait 12 weeks for their next jab, an issue which has caused considerable anxiety within the profession.
Prof Andrew Goddard
College president Prof Andrew Goddard said: ‘There is no way to dress it up – it is pretty awful at the moment in the world of medicine. Hospital admissions are at the highest ever level, staff are exhausted and although there is light at the end of the tunnel, that light seems a long way away.
‘I am extremely concerned about the mental health of front-line doctors, who may be suffering from burn-out and a feeling of not being valued. I’m not sure that before the pandemic many physicians would have contemplated that they might need formal mental health support in their career.
‘Staff will be in desperate need of a break and will need specific time away if they’re to be at their best after the pandemic.
Remarkable resilience
‘Doctors have demonstrated remarkable resilience throughout the pandemic, working under the most challenging conditions the NHS has ever faced, but they can’t continue working this way forever.’
Three-quarters of doctors surveyed are finding this second wave either slightly or much busier compared to the peak in April. Over half (56%) are very concerned about the impact of rising Covid-19 admissions on their organisation’s capacity to deliver safe and effective care.
Improvements in treatments for Covid-19 mean that in this second wave a much smaller proportion of hospitalised Covid-19 patients are requiring ventilation in ITUs.
But the college said this was placing huge pressure on the wider medical team in all specialties, particularly respiratory medicine.
Up to 95% of pandemic patients in some hospitals are receiving care outside of ICUs on medical wards acting as Covid-19 wards. 20% of physicians have been redeployed during this wave, most to these Covid-19 wards.
Delays to treatment in other areas of medicine due to the prioritisation of Covid-19 patients are also being acutely felt, the RCP reported.
Although the pandemic brings unprecedented pressure, it considers understaffing to be the root of many of these problems, with 55% of consultant posts unfilled even prior to the pandemic.
The RCP has long called for the number of medical school places to double in order to grow the medical workforce and this month published a costed blueprint for making this happen.