BMA sounds fresh alarm over doctors' wellbeing after half say health worse than in first wave of Covid-19

Trade union the British Medical Association (BMA) in Scotland has sounded a fresh call of alarm over the mental health of doctors during the Covid-19 pandemic, after half of respondents to a survey reported their wellbeing was worse than in the first wave.

Chair of BMA Scotland Dr Lewis Morrison said the issue of doctors’ wellbeing became “more pressing” with each passing month of the pandemic.

New figures from a survey of members show nearly 55 per cent of 1,000 doctors said their health and wellbeing was either slightly or much worse than during the first wave.

Some 58 per cent said their current level of fatigue or exhaustion from working or studying during the pandemic was higher than normal.

Forth Valley Royal Hospital Intensive Care Unit. Picture: Michael Gillen.

Nearly 40 per cent said they were suffering from depression, anxiety, stress, burnout, emotional distress or other mental health condition relating to or made worse by their work or study.

Dr Morrison said the figures caused him to have “major concerns” for doctors, both currently and in the long term.

"The last year has been relentless for the entire country, but in particular for NHS staff who see the effects of the pandemic at work, but who also have to deal with the same pressures and restrictions as individuals and the effects on our families,” he said.

Dr Morrison added: “Doctors also know that non-Covid conditions haven’t gone away and when ‘all this is over’ there will be assumptions about rapidly getting back to doing more of that care.

"While of course it will be important to ensure patients get the care they need, the anticipation of a demand to return to normal and catch up does add to the sense that there is so much more hard work to come fuelled by potentially unrealistic expectations.”

His warning comes after staff in the intensive care unit at the Forth Valley Royal hospital in Falkirk said they had become busier in the past few days as cases continue to rise.

“At the moment we’re not really seeing much light at the end of the tunnel and certainly the last few weeks seem to have got busier for us here,” said senior charge nurse Heather Riddoch, adding that staff were “exhausted” after nearly a year of the pandemic.

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