August 12, 2025
UK Doctors Burning Out as Training Struggles and Workload Collide
Almost a quarter (23%) of UK doctors took time off in 2024 due to stress, nearly double the proportion recorded just five years ago, according to new figures from the General Medical Council (GMC). While the proportion at high risk of burnout has dropped from 25% in 2022 to 18% in 2024, the regulator warns that persistent workload pressures and frustration with training opportunities are pushing many doctors to the brink.
The GMC’s latest report paints a stark picture of how career progression, or lack of it, directly affects wellbeing. Among doctors who felt unable to advance in their careers, only a third (33%) were satisfied with their jobs, compared with a striking 81% satisfaction rate among those who believed they could progress.
In addition, UK doctors are increasingly sacrificing pay for better work-life balance, as burnout, stress, and strained personal lives take a serious toll across the profession.
Who’s Suffering the Most?
Trainers, the doctors responsible for mentoring and developing the next generation, are under particular strain. One in ten has cut back or stopped training altogether due to workload. Four in ten (39%) have turned down extra duties, and a fifth (20%) have reduced their contracted hours. Specialist trainers were more likely than non-trainers to be overwhelmed by workload (26% versus 21%) and to struggle at least once a week to provide sufficient patient care (38% versus 30%). The pressure is even greater for GPs who train others; 68% say they struggle weekly to provide adequate patient care, compared to 58% of GPs who do not train.
General practice remains the hardest hit overall: 44% of GPs reported struggling with workload compared with 29% of all doctors. Doctors in training are also at higher risk, with 23% in the “high burnout” category, and they report fewer opportunities for professional development than their more senior colleagues.
Under-Represented Groups
The GMC’s findings also highlight disparities among under-represented groups. Ethnic minority graduates experience more workload challenges than average (33% versus 29%), while disabled doctors needing workplace adjustments report poorer support and are less likely to feel part of a cohesive team.
GMC chief executive Charlie Massey said the current training system is a critical factor in the NHS’s ongoing retention problem.
“Like any profession, doctors who are disillusioned with their careers will start looking elsewhere. Doctors need to be satisfied, supported, and see a hopeful future for themselves, or we may risk losing their talent and expertise altogether,” he warned.
The regulator is calling for a modernised training framework that better serves both doctors and patients, alongside broader systemic change. While some improvements in wellbeing have been noted since 2022, Massey stressed that these gains are fragile.
With inadequate staffing cited by 72% of doctors as a barrier to providing proper care, the GMC argues that any solution must address resourcing, support, and training together, or risk deepening the burnout crisis that is already driving too many clinicians away from the profession.
