GPs

Part of 2. Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services – in the Senedd at 2:34 pm on 1 December 2021.

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Photo of Joel James Joel James Conservative 2:34, 1 December 2021

A recent British Medical Association tracker survey has revealed that over half of the doctors surveyed in Wales have worked extra hours during the pandemic with a quarter of them reporting that these hours were unpaid. Over a third of the doctors who responded to the BMA's survey felt pressurised by their employer to work extra hours and over a third had also either skipped taking their allotted break time or had only taken it on rare occasions. This has unfortunately left many exhausted, with over half of the surveyed doctors reporting a higher than normal level of fatigue or exhaustion, and, worryingly, 76.6 per cent revealing that their stress levels had worsened since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Another survey commissioned by the BMA in April this year revealed that 51 per cent of members are currently suffering from depression, anxiety, stress, burnout, emotional distress, or another mental health condition, 16 per cent plan to leave the NHS altogether, and 47 per cent plan to work fewer hours after the pandemic. I'm sure that these percentages are reflected throughout the United Kingdom, and further afield, but they do indicate that the medical profession is under enormous strain, and this can only be made worse by the continuation of the pandemic and the new omicron strain. With this in mind, Minister, what measures are the Welsh Government taking to help support the health and well-being of GPs, as we begin another winter with COVID? Thank you.