Published by the GMC on 15th November 2019: Acting on wellbeing solutions could make UK health services a model for the world.
"UK health services could be world leaders in creating workplaces which support doctors’ wellbeing and patient safety if existing good practice were applied more widely, a report for the General Medical Council (GMC) has found.
The Caring for doctors, Caring for patients report identifies a need to address the wellbeing of doctors faced with higher workloads, whose own health impacts on patient care.
Leading organisational psychologist Professor Michael West and clinical psychiatrist and leader in mental health Dame Denise Coia* were commissioned by the GMC to examine root causes of poor wellbeing, and solutions applied in both primary and secondary care. They heard evidence from clinicians working across a range of disciplines around the UK.
Recommendations include compassionate leadership models giving doctors more say over the culture of their workplaces, adopting minimum standards of food and rest facilities, and standardising rota designs which take account of workload and available staff.
The review found many individual employers and clinical teams are already implementing local solutions to address issues affecting the health and wellbeing of doctors. Professor West and Dame Denise believe that health services could be a ‘model for the world’ in how to develop workplace cultures that support doctors’ core work needs if these solutions were consistently applied.
Other recommendations for health service leaders include improvements to team-working, culture and leadership, and workloads. The GMC has accepted the recommendations made and pledged to work with other leaders to help introduce them."