They find high benefits and salaries in other countries
Increasing numbers of doctors are leaving Britain irrevocably
Doctors in hospitals suffer from exhaustion and frustration. Archival
The pandemic has increased the burden on medical staff in hospitals. Archival
Nurses spend long hours at work. Archival
British doctor in Australia. Archival
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An analysis of official figures suggests that the UK loses thousands of doctors who leave permanently every year. More than half of the doctors who withdrew from Britain's medical record in an official survey by the General Medical Council said they were unwilling to return.
Separate figures from the doctors' regulatory body show that 4843,<> practitioners moved abroad to practice medicine last year. Overseas medical institutions in countries such as New Zealand, Canada and Australia are taking advantage of conflicts between UK medical staff to fill gaps in their workforce, doctors said.
As the UK's medical workforce grows, it itself relies heavily on overseas medical recruitment, with nearly a third of the country's doctors trained overseas.
Billy Palmer, a fellow at the Nuffield Trust Health Research Center, said: "We have benefited greatly from hiring medical staff from abroad, but things have changed. He said that relying on employment abroad was not sustainable in the long term, and called for increased investment in domestic supply, but added: "It's not as simple as just increasing university places for clinical courses, where we have many people who have not completed their training, or have chosen to work outside the Public Authority for Health."
Palmer said the body was no longer competitive in terms of wages and working conditions, and pointed to professional disputes with the government as a key issue. Nurses will enter the weekend in May, while doctors are likely to announce more strikes unless the government agrees to new wage negotiations.
Targeted advertising
"It's easy to see why so many are thinking of relocating, in the meantime not enough policy action has been taken to address these issues, and it's frustrating that the Health Authority's workforce plan is not keeping up with the event consistently," Palmer said.
Many of those who move abroad to practice medicine return to their home countries, but a recent report warns that the UK is also losing local doctors. One in three doctors who moved abroad – to Australia, New Zealand, the United States or Canada – qualified for the first time in those countries, a "relatively small percentage", the report said.
Meanwhile, medics reported an influx of targeted advertisements and emails encouraging them to move abroad for better salaries and professional and living conditions, with a marked increase in offers as strike dates approach.
One ad, with a photo of a young couple walking barefoot on the beach, urges doctors to "move to Nova Scotia in Canada, where you will practice wonderful medicine and live a better life." Work began on 10 April, a day before a four-day strike by members of the British Medical Association.
"Junior doctors see these announcements almost daily – on social media, in magazines, via email – not to mention recruitment events and webinars," said Dr. Mike Greenhalgh, vice chair of the Junior Physicians Committee, adding: "They promise not only higher wages, but a warmer work atmosphere, a better lifestyle, and a better work-life balance."
"Every junior doctor will meet some friends, colleagues, classmates who have already gone to Australia or New Zealand," Greenhalgh explained, continuing: "Some initially plan to go for a year, and end up staying, and this is a huge loss for our already exhausted workforce."
Temptations to move
Dr Matt Neal, co-chair of the UK Medical Association, a lobbying organisation, said: "As a junior doctor, the temptations to move to more attractive places were stronger than ever. "The active recruitment of doctors by other countries – often paying lucrative bonuses and higher salaries with fewer hours – is in stark contrast to deteriorating wages and conditions in the NHS here in Britain," he said.
Meanwhile, professional organizations have called on the government to increase doctors' salaries to stem the flow abroad.
Union official Charlie Massey said: "At a time when patients are facing unprecedented waiting times for care and healthcare professionals continue to come under immense pressure, we must do more to retain doctors and other staff at the NHS.
"Conditions and workplaces need to improve to make them more inclusive and cared for, if more doctors are to thrive and develop their careers here in the UK, which is also in the interest of patient care," Massey said.
Recruitment Round
Newly qualified doctors in the UK start their careers with a base salary of £29384,58398 per year, while the highest paid junior doctors, with many years of experience, earn £<>,<>. The British Association of Physicians says "wage erosion, fatigue and despair" are pushing staff out of the NHS and causing "the exodus of junior doctors to foreign countries".
The head of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, Dr Adrian Boyle, said: "There are high levels of burnout, so doctors are reducing their working hours or leaving. "We basically have the coolest medical training programme Australia can benefit from."
St John Healthcare Foundation, which runs 17 hospitals in Australia, began touring UK cities in October to hire nurses, midwives and doctors. Public Health Authority employees received 206 jobs. St. John's Healthcare Nursing Group Director Danny Minima said many were "attracted to the weather, beaches and remarkably high salaries."
Career development
The Department of Health and Social Care said England's National Health Service has record numbers of staff including 5100,<> more doctors, compared to January last year. A spokesperson for the ministry added: "We are extremely grateful to the staff of the Health Authority who work tirelessly to provide care." "Programs have been designed to keep doctors in place, including a focus on career development and retention training." The manpower plan will be published soon, the official said.
Preferred Destinations
An increasing number of doctors and nurses are abandoning work for the NHS to work in countries such as Australia, as overseas recruiters target those who are dissatisfied with wages and conditions in the UK. Figures from the General Medical Council show that the number of doctors wanting to work abroad has risen by 25% in a year.
Last year, there were 6950,5576 applications from UK registered and licensed doctors, up from 2021,200 in <>, with almost a quarter choosing Australia. One of the country's largest critically ill hospitals offered <> jobs after the latest recruitment drive, amid growing concerns about the migration of healthcare workers from the UK.
It comes after a survey of 4500,<> junior doctors in England found that one in three doctors plan to work overseas next year, with Australia and New Zealand being the most popular destinations.
Senior paramedics said fatigue, due to high pressure on hospitals and frustration with working conditions, were among the main factors fuelling these trends.
While junior doctors are planning new strikes, the medical union is campaigning for a pay increase of more than a quarter, saying wages have not kept pace with inflation over the past 15 years.
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A doctor and nurse moved abroad to practice medicine last year.
Paramedics reported an influx of targeted advertisements and emails encouraging them to move abroad for better salaries and professional and living conditions.