Marvin OnumonuDoctors are more sleep deprived now than after the pandemic, a survey by the Medical Defence Union (MDU) has found.
The survey revealed nearly 90% of doctors felt sleep deprived at work, a 20% increase from January 2022 when 75% reported the same.
Of those, 41% experienced sleep deprivation at least weekly, up from 37% in 2022.
Reports of patient safety incidents rose, with 69 near misses and 17 cases of patient harm, compared to 40 near misses and seven harm cases in 2022.
The survey also revealed that 89% felt sleep deprived at work occasionally, with 22% experiencing this daily and 19% weekly.
Tiredness impaired the ability of 35% of doctors to treat patients, and 34% said tiredness might have played a part.
About 38% were rarely or never able to take breaks, including lunch, and 27% lacked a staff room.
Increased winter pressures added to fatigue, with 62% reporting this issue.
The major reasons for tiredness were high patient demand (67%), inability to take breaks (65%), difficulty switching off outside work (50%), and no chance to eat/drink during shifts (29%).
Dr Udvitha Nandasoma, head of advisory services at MDU, said: “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.
“When patients come to harm as a result of an impaired doctor, tiredness and fatigue are so common that they might not stand out as contributing factors and the focus can unfairly fall on the individual clinician.”
Nandasoma added: “Nearly four in 10 doctors (38%) told us they were rarely or never able to take breaks during the working day, including lunch breaks.
“This is an unsustainable situation. If the government is to succeed in its 10-year health plan for the NHS, it needs staff to be firing on all cylinders so they can safely care for patients.”
Professor Peter Brennan, consultant oral and maxillofacial surgeon at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS trust, said: “We should all be concerned that so many doctors and their healthcare colleagues are working while exhausted.
“Many studies have shown that tiredness and lack of hydration and nutrition can increase the risk of medical errors and affect doctors’ health and wellbeing.
“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.”
Susannah Basile, interim chief executive of Doctors in Distress, said: “Doctors who are sleep deprived will struggle to provide the quality of care for patients that they would wish, and this will inevitably impact their mental health.
“Doctors are leaving work exhausted and feeling insufficiently rested when they return, which can lead to burnout. Adequate rest breaks need to be both prioritised and respected.
“This means not only enabling access to rest and sleep facilities at work, but also ensuring rotas protect and respect non-working days to give staff sufficient time to reset before their next shift.”
The MDU has urged the Government and NHS employers to ensure adequate resources are available for regular breaks, supporting health and wellbeing in the NHS workforce and continuing funding for services like practitioner health.
