RCPE Response to GMC's National Training Survey 2024

RCPE Response to GMC's National Training Survey 2024

The GMC has published this year’s National Training Survey, the largest annual insight into the training of doctors in the UK. This year’s survey was answered by more than 52,000 doctors in training and more than 22,000 doctors who train them.

Key findings from the Survey include:

• 83% of doctors in training said they rated the quality of their training as good or very good, and 86% were positive about their clinical supervision.
• 90% of trainers said they enjoyed their role. However, only 48% said they were always able to use the time allocated for training and 27% believe there isn’t enough time in their job plan for training.
• 63% of trainees and 50% of trainers are considered to be at moderate or high risk of burnout.
• 65% of trainees also said they always or often feel worn out at the end of the working day compared with 68% of GP and 49% of secondary care trainers.
• Of the doctors in training that answered the optional questions on discriminatory behaviours, 29% said they’d experienced micro-aggressions, negative comments, or oppressive body language from colleagues. The demographic breakdowns also suggest factors including gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, and disability status can negatively impact a trainee’s experience.

Commenting Professor Andrew Elder, President of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, said:

Teaching and training are central to the role of the doctor. It is therefore alarming that one of the key messages that emerges from this year’s survey is the level of concern expressed by doctors about their ability to deliver that teaching and training.

The College remains deeply concerned that more than half of trainers said they always or often felt worn out at the end of the working day while more than a fifth of trainees are at high risk of burnout. 

We must therefore address the needs of trainers and, specifically, increase their number and the support given to them, to ensure that we can provide the best possible education to all medical students taking up the additional medical school places and all doctors in postgraduate training. This is something that I and the College have spoken out on for many years and we welcome the GMC’s call and would again support it. Governments must act on this and deliver for trainers as well as trainees.