Almost a third of exhausted doctors have cried at work, research finds

Credit: Getty Images/MartinPrescott

By Lucinda Cameron, PA

Almost a third of doctors in Scotland have cried at work in the past three months, giving a warning sign of a system under “severe strain”, a medical professionals’ organisation has warned.

Doctors cited stress, feeling overwhelmed and exhaustion as the top reasons for crying at work, the Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland (MDDUS) research found.

It found 29% of doctors in Scotland have cried at work in the past three months.Two-thirds (66%) said they have experienced or are currently experiencing burnout, 59% said they are currently experiencing stress at work, and 34% are facing workplace anxiety.

It comes following the recent launch of the MDDUS Wellbeing by Design report which warned burnout among doctors has reached crisis point and is now threatening patient safety and workforce sustainability across Scotland.

Chris Kenny, chief executive of MDDUS, said: “Doctors crying at work is a warning sign of a system under severe strain.

“These are highly trained professionals being pushed beyond sustainable limits by relentless pressure and workloads that raise serious concerns about safety.

“When one third of doctors say they are crying because they feel overwhelmed, burnt out and exhausted, it should prompt urgent reflection on how our health service is designed and staffed.”

Abuse from patients

The research also found 68% of doctors in Scotland who responded said they have experienced verbal abuse from patients in the past 12 months, while 23% have experienced physical abuse from patients in the past year.

The survey of 1,606 doctors, including 333 in Scotland, was carried out in November 2025.

The MDDUS Wellbeing by Design report called on all parties contesting May’s Scottish Parliament election to commit to making doctor wellbeing a non-negotiable requirement of NHS workforce planning.

A Scottish government spokesperson said: “We recognise the tremendous pressures staff have been working under and are extremely grateful for their continued efforts in the face of sustained demand.

“We appreciate the work done by MDDUS to raise concerns and advocate for our workforce. We will carefully consider this report and continue working with boards to ensure they create environments where staff wellbeing is protected, and staff feel valued and supported.

“No-one should be the victim of abuse or violence while at work and any assaults on NHS staff are completely unacceptable. We strongly encourage staff to report all instances of violent and aggressive behaviour through their local reporting systems and would expect boards to support staff as much as possible."

The Scottish government provides more than £2.5 million annually for national wellbeing programmes supporting health workforce mental health.

“We continue to see downward trends across nearly all waiting list indicators and diagnostic activity is up," said the spokesperson.

“We know there is still more to do but the latest figures show that our plan is working and our NHS is turning a corner. This is helping to reduce pressure on NHS staff and improve morale.”

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