Nearly one in five doctors in training has witnessed someone being bullied in their current post, and more than one in four has experienced undermining behaviour themselves, according to a major survey from the General Medical Council.

In its annual survey of 54,000 doctors in training in the UK the GMC, the independent regulator of the UK’s 250,000 doctors, asks their views on the quality of their training. It is one of the largest surveys of its kind anywhere in the world.

The findings also reveal that more than 2,000 doctors in training (5.2%) had raised a concern about patient safety in 2013 and 13.2 per cent said they had experienced bullying at work.

Niall Dickson, chief executive of the General Medical Council, said:

‘These findings highlight the importance of listening to young doctors working on the front line of clinical care. They support what Robert Francis said – that doctors in training are invaluable eyes and ears for what is happening at the front line of patient care.

“They also suggest that more needs to be done to support these doctors and to build the positive supportive culture that is so essential to patient safety. The best care is always given by professional who are supported and encouraged.

“The survey provides us and employers with crucial information about the quality of the training environment, which is also where patients receive care and treatment. These doctors are in an ideal position to alert us to potential problems and employers will also want to reflect on these results.

“Patient safety remains our top priority and all doctors irrespective of their seniority should feel supported in improving the standards of care for their patients.”

Further analysis of the survey shows that:

• The number of comments on patient safety raised by doctors training in emergency medicine posts have increased since 2012 (from 204 to 287)

• 5,863 respondents had been concerned about patient safety but their concerns had been addressed

• Female trainees and trainees who obtained their primary medical qualification (PMQ) within the UK, are more likely to raise concerns

The findings suggest that hospitals need to engage with doctors in training and use their experiences to help change the culture of their organisations. The survey responses contain examples of good practice showing how organisations which had experienced problems managed them positively and effectively.

According to the GMC, the numbers of concerns raised come from qualitative not quantitative responses. The same issue may also have been raised several times, meaning these numbers will be higher than the actual incidence of the issues.

Source: India Medical times