Speaking on the GMC’s recommendations to support wellbeing, Dr Rob Hendry, Medical Director at Medical Protection said: “The GMC recommendations chime well with our recent report on ‘Breaking the burnout cycle’, where we made key recommendations to improve the working environment and tackle the endemic of burnout in healthcare so that the wellbeing of doctors can be safeguarded.

“When doctors feel burnt out it is not only concerning for them but for patients and the wider team, therefore we are pleased to see that the GMC recognises that doctors who are not well, overworked and stressed are more likely to carry an increased risk of accidents. We know doctors who continue to work while unfit to do so are more likely to make mistakes - 25% of members we recently surveyed suspect that emotional exhaustion has contributed to an irreversible clinical error, with 67% of them saying this was due to a lack of concentration.

“Doctors who are happy and engaged are much more likely to be compassionate and provide safer patient care. We simply must not let the environment we work in reduce the sense of value that we get from being a doctor – there is much that can be done, and the healthcare community as whole has a responsibility to act.”