Unhappy doctors are not unique to the UK

11 Apr 02
Discontentment among doctors is not just a result of high workloads and low pay and is not confined to the UK, the NHS Confederation said this week.

12 April 2002

Large numbers of doctors are leaving the NHS or retiring early but the report points out that contentment among UK doctors is higher than their counterparts in the US, who enjoy higher status and pay.

The confederation, which is concluding negotiations on a new contract for GPs, said in a report that other factors, such as increased patient expectations, have reduced morale.

The report, The problem of unhappy doctors: what are the causes and what can we do?, says there is a mismatch between the job for which doctors trained and what they are asked to do.

Gill Morgan, the confederation's chief executive, said the government, public, patients and employers had to be honest about their expectations of doctors.

'This could then lead to other measures, such as changes in the training and development of health care staff to allow more diversity, in recognition of the changes in both society and the medical profession,' she added.

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