In the latest survey from the Medical Defence Union, nearly 90% of respondents said that they feel sleep-deprived at work.
The pressure that doctors are under is not letting up. There are recruitment freezes, a spike in patients waiting more than 12 hours, as well as the never-ending rise in waiting lists. No wonder that doctors are sleep-deprived.
Nearly 90% of respondents to a new survey from not-for-profit medical defence organisation Medical Defence Union (MDU) said they feel sleep-deprived at work.
This is a 20% increase compared to a survey carried out three years ago when three-quarters of doctors felt sleep-deprived at work.
Patient safety incidents had also increased with 69 near misses and 17 cases where patients had sustained harm reported, which was an increase on 2022 when there were almost 40 near misses and seven cases where patients sustained harm.
“The results of this survey are deeply concerning. There has been no let-up in the immense pressures faced by healthcare professionals in the past three years and this is continuing to impact doctor’s mental health and affect patient care,” said Udvitha Nandasoma, MDU head of advisory services.
I’m so tired
“My shift pattern means I’m so tired and there is no downtime or time to truly switch off from work. I am often the only doctor looking after 25 patients. It is exhausting,” was the response from one foundation doctor in the survey.
“We should all be concerned that so many doctors and their healthcare colleagues are working while exhausted,” said Peter Brennan, consultant oral and maxillofacial surgeon and honorary professor of surgery at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust who has published extensively on human factors and minimising medical errors. “Many studies have shown that tiredness and lack of hydration and nutrition can increase the risk of medical errors and affect doctors’ health and well-being. Staff need to be able to take regular breaks and be provided with the facilities to do so to optimise their professional performance and help maintain wellbeing,” he continued.
The MDU surveyed a sample of doctors in January 2025. The 481 respondents included: consultants and specialists (31%), GPs (30%) speciality/career/training grade doctors (23%) and foundation doctors (9%).
