According to leading doctors, the NHS is “in danger of complete collapse,” and nearly half of senior doctors plan to leave within the following year.
Following its survey, the British Medical Association (BMA) warned that the health service is “at breaking point” and demanded immediate Government action.
The poll says that 44% of hospital consultants in England intend to leave or take a break from working for the NHS in the coming year.
The figure rises to 50% among consultant surgeons.
In recent months, there has been a slew of dire warnings about the state of the healthcare system, but this is perhaps the starkest.
According to experts, such a dramatic loss of the health service’s senior staff would result in increased staff burnout and negatively impact patient care.
Pay and pension tax arrangements were mentioned as reasons for wanting to leave in a survey of nearly 8,000 consultants.
However, the findings follow a significant strain on the health-care system since the Covid crisis began in March 2020.
In the midst of the cost-of-living crisis, nine out of ten consultants said this year’s 4.5% pay increase was ‘inadequate’ or ‘completely unacceptable.’
Meanwhile, Health Secretary Therese Coffey was dubbed “clueless” yesterday morning for not knowing whether a smoking reduction plan had been scrapped. She was also mocked for being unaware of numerous policies.