Two in five GPs are experiencing mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder according to a survey by Mind – and many family doctors told the charity they did not feel able to turn to colleagues for support.
The vast majority (86 per cent) of GPs affected said that they were much more likely to look for help from family and friends or their own doctor. Less than half (48 per cent) said they would seek help from a colleague just just a third said they would turn to their practice manager. Just one per cent of the 1,000 doctors polled said they would go to a professional body such as the General Medical Council.
Although the government and NHS England are taking steps to address the high rates of poor mental health among GPs, such as setting up a confidential NHS support service for GPs, there are still huge problems when it comes to attracting and retaining primary care staff. A government-backed scheme set up two years ago to attract 5,000 more GPs in post by 2020 remains way off target and workloads have surged in recent years.
Dr Zoe Neill qualified as a GP in 2003 and used to work full-time, plus some evenings and weekends, but it got too much and now she works as a portfolio GP, including GP appraising, coaching doctors, and working at a gender identity clinic. She was diagnosed with depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) relating to her experiences whilst working as a doctor.
Dr Neill, 43, from Harrogate, North Yorkshire, said: “I loved working at a GP surgery but it was immensely challenging. Being expected to work those hours, in addition to having two children, was just not sustainable. I was regularly seeing patients with depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts and recognised that my own mental health was suffering too.
“It’s not just patients – I’ve also come across a number of mentally unwell GPs who are still working when they’re not well enough. Some GPs are automatically put on performance management for being unwell or are subjected to meetings with their GP partners where their fitness for work is assessed. Clinicians are not supposed to be unwell themselves. It’s really important for everyone that the Government urgently address the root causes of stress in the NHS, often lack of control of workloads is key.”
Growing problem
Dr Neill is far from alone. One GP told i earlier this year that her workload had been”massive and unrelenting”. Dr Zoe Norris said: “It’s get to the point where you are actually working as hard as you can and you’re still not solving the problem.”
Mind is calling on Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) and GP practices to ensure the whole primary care workforce -including practice managers, reception staff and practice nurses – receives appropriate support when needed and has workplace policies and procedures in place to better promote staff wellbeing.
Vicki Nash, head of policy and campaigns at Mind, said: “Primary care staff do a stressful job day in, day out, but too often aren’t getting the support they need. When they feel well and supported, they can provide the best possible care for their patients.
“Working in healthcare doesn’t make it any easier to talk about your mental health at work. In fact, concerns over fitness to practice can make it harder. It needs to be ok for health care staff to talk about their mental health. Like anyone else, they need and should have support.”
Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: “Workload in general practice has increased by at least 16 per cent over the last seven years, both in volume and complexity, but the share of the NHS budget our profession receives is less than it was a decade ago, and GP numbers are falling. The result is that highly-skilled and much-needed doctors are becoming disenchanted, exhausted, and burnt-out, with many being forced to take the drastic decision to leave the profession altogether.
“It’s a terrible irony that GPs, the gatekeepers of the NHS who spend their lives caring for others, are often suffering in silence about their mental health and don’t feel as though they’re able to reach out and ask for help.”
Dr Krishna Kasaraneni, BMA GP committee executive team workforce lead, said: “This report is extremely concerning and highlights the need for better support for GPs and their teams. The BMA is calling for a properly-funded universal occupational health service, so that GPs and the wider practice staff are able to access the support they need, and in turn are better equipped to care for their patients.
“After all, no one wants to be treated by a sick doctor, and strains on clinicians’ mental health will only lead to more turning away from the profession.”
