Commenting on the IMC Workforce Report -

Dr Rob Hendry, Chief Member Officer and Medical Director at Medical Protection Society (MPS), said:

“Medical Protection Society (MPS) welcomes the Medical Council’s 2024 annual workforce intelligence report.

“It is concerning that the report found that over a quarter of doctors (26.1%) experience difficulty providing a patient with sufficient care at least once a week, or more frequently, with pressure on workload being a key barrier. We know from our own member insights that not feeling able to do the right thing for patients due to pressures and demands outside of a doctor’s control, significantly impacts on their mental wellbeing.

“We see firsthand how poor mental wellbeing affects doctors personally, and how it can impact on patient care and medicolegal risk. Without early support, mental wellbeing issues can also result in doctors needing extended time off work or leaving the healthcare profession altogether, which is the last thing we need. The Medical Council report found that over 1500 doctors left the medical register in 2024.

“We know that tackling staff shortages and the lack of capacity and resilience in the system – is complex. There are though, steps that can and must be taken to create more supportive environments for healthcare professionals. Those working in the HSE and private healthcare settings should have counselling, peer support networks and specialist support available to them as standard. This would help to tackle issues early on and enable doctors to continue to care for patients safely.

“Independent mental wellbeing services, such as the Practitioner Health Matters Programme, are equally vital and can provide a lifeline for many who are struggling to cope, but they often rely on donations. We believe the Government should help to ensure they are properly funded and safeguarded, so healthcare professionals are always able to access confidential, specialist help outside of their place of work, without fear of repercussions from their employers.

“At MPS, we know the pressures and demands healthcare professionals face are having a significant impact on mental wellbeing. We would like to remind members that they have access to a counselling service as part of their membership for work-related issues such as stress, burnout, anxiety and conflict. Members can access telephone support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and face-to-face counselling sessions can also be arranged. The service is completely confidential and independent of MPS.”

MPS represents the interests of over 300,000 healthcare professionals worldwide including over 16,000 in Ireland.

ENDS

Notes to editors

An MPS survey of 872 doctors in 2023, found that:

• 33% of respondents said not being able to do the right thing for patients is impacting their current mental wellbeing.
• 41% said the impact of staff shortages on patient safety has made them consider their career in healthcare.

MPS counselling support service:

Confidential counselling sessions and wellbeing resources are included as one of the benefits of MPS membership at no additional cost. To access the confidential counselling see www.medicalprotection.org/ireland/wellbeing

For further information about this press release contact:

[email protected]

548 MPS members participated in the survey, which took place in November 2024.

Key findings:

• 19% of the doctors who responded said their mental wellbeing was of concern.
• 53% said they feel disillusioned/disengaged at work.
• 64% said they feel frequently exhausted or burnt out.
• 60% said the Government does not do enough to ensure mental health services for doctors are properly funded.
• 57% said they are not encouraged to discuss mental wellbeing issues at work.

• 63% of respondents said they have gone to work, or continued to work, despite not feeling mentally well enough to do so
• 56% have done so because they felt guilty adding to colleagues’ workloads
• 42% have done so because their patients rely on them
• 31% have done so because of pressure to clear waiting lists
• 44% have done so because of staff/rota shortages
• 46% of respondents said taking time off work for mental wellbeing issues was not considered acceptable at their work