Doctors leaving the NHS could cost up to £5bn a year unless urgent action is taken, according to a new report from the British Medical Association (BMA).
The research estimates that, between September 2022 and September 2023, approximately 15,000-23,000 doctors left the NHS in England before reaching retirement age.
The BMA highlight that, at the very least, this has cost the health service and taxpayers between £1.6bn to £2.4bn. The cost of replacing an individual doctor is thought to be potentially more than £300,000.
The General Medical Council has separately said that the number of doctors taking ‘hard steps’ to leave doubled in 2022 – up to 15% from 7% in 2021.
If this trend continues, the BMA says the cost of replacing the exiting doctors could rise to £5bn in England alone.
"There are many factors behind this 'brain drain' and the many other staff, who we can ill afford to lose, leaving the NHS,” said Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive at NHS Providers.
"Today more than 110,000 jobs across the NHS in England are unfilled. Relentless demand continues to outstrip available staff and resources as overstretched teams and services work flat out to treat patients, many with more complex conditions, as quickly as possible.”
The BMA says that action in four key areas can tackle the issue:
- Pay and debt
- Working conditions
- Diversity and inclusion
- Development and support
Saffron adds that the longstanding issues within the system need to be addressed before the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan can succeed – this includes recruitment, retention, training, and support.
She said: "Patient care will suffer if we keep losing NHS staff due to burnout, stress and excessive workloads."
Healthcare leaders from the NHS, academia, think tanks, and the private sector will join National Health Executive’s workforce-dedicated online conference this week, where recruitment, retention and employee benefits will all be discussed.
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