DOCTORS are experincing burnout as the huge pressure of work damages their health and puts patient safety at risk, a stark report reveals today.

A review by the British Medical Journal found that patient care is being detrimentally affected as doctors struggle with a record backlog of cases after facing extreme workloads during the first two years of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The review concluded that burnout is worst among hospital doctors and that it has doubled the number of patient safety incidents. 

Young physicians aged 30 or under and those in emergency departments are the worst affected.

Doctors’ union the British Medical Association (BMA) said it was not surprised by the findings.

BMA chairwoman Dr Latifa Patel said: “Burnout is not just a question of personal wellbeing or career satisfaction, it is a matter of patient safety.

“Tired, undervalued and understrength doctors cannot work to the best of their abilities and these figures throw into disturbing relief what that means for patient care.

“Doctors want to do the best by their patients, but that is becoming increasingly difficult as they tackle record backlogs, regularly missing rest breaks, going without food breaks and working themselves to their very limit, often at the detriment to their own health.

“Action must be taken and fast if we are to protect the workforce and patients are to get the care they deserve.

“Only a full plan to restore the NHS workforce and a pledge to listen to what doctors are telling the government about their work conditions will be capable of tackling this burnout epidemic and the horrible consequences we see here.”

In June last year, a damning report by the Commons health and social committee found that NHS and social care staff burnout had already reached “emergency” levels, putting the future of services at risk.