Latest news with #DavidNicholl
Medscape
5 days ago
- Health
- Medscape
Medscape UK Survey: Burnout Hits Doctors Amid NHS Pressures
A Medscape UK survey of more than 900 doctors in the United Kingdom has revealed significant levels of burnout and poor mental health despite many being content with life outside work. The Medscape UK Wellness and Life Outside of Work Report 2025 found that 67% of doctors were very or somewhat happy with their work-life balance. However, 20% said they were very or somewhat unhappy. While 56% felt happy with their professional life, 28% were very or somewhat unhappy. Challenging the Stigma of Seeking Help More than one in 10 (13%) rated their current mental health as poor or very poor. Susannah Basile, interim CEO of Doctors in Distress, called this 'deeply concerning' but not unexpected. 'With a doctor in the UK dying by suicide every 3 weeks, the stigma around seeking help must be challenged,' she told Medscape News UK . The charity is committed to creating 'safe, supportive spaces where healthcare workers can process the emotional toll of their work before it reaches crisis point', Basile said. Doctors in need of a supportive community are invited to join the Doctors in Distress support group, which runs on three days per week and is free of charge and confidential. Dr David Nicholl, committee member for the Doctors' Association UK (DAUK), described the survey as 'a valuable contribution to understanding the pressures and solutions to the wellbeing of doctors'. He noted concern over the one in 10 doctors who reported significant mental health issues. Burnout affected more than a quarter of respondents (27%), with 5% saying they felt depressed, and a further 14% reporting both depression and burnout. With a third of respondents working part-time, it would be important to understand whether there are differences between those working part-time and those working full-time, Nicholl suggested. Work was cited as the sole or primary cause of burnout by more than 3 in 4 respondents, while only 10% blamed personal life factors. However, two-thirds (67%) felt poor mental health strained their personal relationships. Almost half (48%) would accept a pay cut in exchange for a better work-life balance. NHS Workloads Create Immense Pressure Dr Ananta Dave, from the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said NHS staff face ever-increasing workloads, time constraints, and administrative burdens. 'These challenges have only intensified in recent years, in many cases requiring staff to seek support for their own mental health,' she told Medscape News UK . Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), acknowledged that the survey showed most doctors are happy professionally but called the proportion who are unhappy 'disheartening'. 'Far too many GPs are reporting stress and burnout as the numbers of patients who need our care continue to increase, while workforce numbers fail to keep up,' she told Medscape News UK . Hawthorne noted that the General Medical Council has reported that GPs are the doctors least likely to be satisfied with their job and most likely to struggle with their workload. To prevent burnout, 'it's important that all medical professionals can still have an appropriate work/life balance during periods of intense pressure'. Stress and Burnout Undermine Recruitment and Retention Recent RCGP polling found that over 40% of GPs doubt they will still be working in general practice in 5 years, with many citing stress and burnout as reasons why they would quit. Hawthorne urged the government to devote more funding, alongside investment in recruitment and retention initiatives, to address the crisis. She sees the upcoming review of the NHS long-term workforce plan as an opportunity to 'turn things around'. Dave said that poor staff wellbeing is 'a major and persistent issue' that undermines NHS capacity. She emphasised that anxiety, stress, depression, and other psychiatric conditions accounted for 26.4% of all NHS England workforce sickness absences in 2024.
BBC News
19-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Stoke Prior residents criticise green belt housebuilding plans
"We're a countryside village - we're not a town, we're not a city."People living in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, have spoken out against plans to build 9,000 new homes in the coming years, many of which will go on green belt land - which makes up 90% of the are due to meet on Thursday to discuss the blueprint for the new homes, which has been drawn up to meet government housebuilding Bright, a parish councillor in Stoke Prior, said plans to build 500 homes in the village, on the Ryelands Farm site, were "ridiculous". "The infrastructure that we have in this village is just not going to take it at obviously the school... I couldn't get my children in there, so they've had to go to Hanbury First School [three miles away], which is now at its capacity as well."Mr Bright added that he was also concerned about the ability of the roads to handle the extra traffic. In order to meet government housebuilding targets, Bromsgrove district council has put forward a draft plan of potential sites for more than 9,000 houses, for between now and the criticism from residents - as well as Liberal Democrat councillors, the council's Tory-Independent administration warned of the risk of Whitehall intervention if the draft is not put out to public consultation for 12 weeks from 30 June."I absolutely accept that we need to build more houses, but concreting fields is not the answer," said Dr David Nicholl, the Lib Dem councillor for Nicholl would rather see a range of options for building presented to residents."[Stoke Prior] will no longer be a village, it'll be a town," he Tolley's home backs directly onto Ryelands Farm."Every morning I wake up, I open my curtains, you've got people walking their dogs, you've got people chatting," she said. "Cows come up to the fence."Ms Tolley said some of her neighbours had already talked about moving away, and she struggled to get GP appointments at the local surgery."How are we supposed to take on another 500 houses worth of people?" she asked. "We all know that houses do need to be built," said Mr Bright. "But our infrastructure here cannot handle it."And actually, Bromsgrove as a whole can't handle the extra houses that are already being built now, down on Whitford Road, Perryfields Road. It can't handle it."So, a village taking another 500 houses - it'll just be absolute carnage."Besides Stoke Prior, the plans would also see 1,800 homes built to the northeast of Bromsgrove itself, 1,200 in Wythall, 600 in Catshill and 500 in both Alvechurch and Hagley. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X, and Instagram.
BBC News
28-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Worcestershire couple save money with EU passport for pet dog
A Worcestershire couple have obtained an EU passport for their dog to save money on travel costs Nicholl, a consultant neurologist from Hagley, Worcestershire, and his wife Suzanne, registered their Jack Russell terrier Lily in Belgium, after travelling became "increasingly expensive".They said the paperwork alone in the UK had risen from £170 to £280 for a return trip, not including was born in Stourport and the couple visit Europe once or twice a year, with the idea coming from a local vet, Mr Nicholl said, adding: "Essentially, she's got freedom of canine movement now." Explaining how it came about, Mr Nicholl said: "Last month, we went over to see my daughter in Amsterdam and then drove back through Belgium."Because you have to get the worming tablets before coming back in the tunnel, we just booked an appointment with the vets and sorted it." 'Goes in her little suitcase' Mrs Nicholl said: "It's £280 for one trip to Europe, return, if you're a British dog."If you're an EU dog, you pay for the passport, which is 80 euros for a whole year, so the difference is cost and ease – we haven't got to bother the vet before we go to France now."She's got that passport, so it goes in her little suitcase and Bob's your uncle." In a visit to meet the jet-setting pooch, BBC Hereford and Worcester came up with a taste test to discover how Belgian Lily had become after gaining her new passport with a British dog biscuit and a piece of Belgian waffle, Lily went straight for the waffle. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
