Doctor exhaustion: The causes and consequences

Posed by model. Credit: Getty/bymuratdeniz

By Erin Dean

Concerns that doctors’ exhaustion is having an impact both on them and their patients have been raised by an investigation.

The Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) found NHS staff fatigue is leading to medication errors, impaired decision-making, reduced vigilance and rude behaviour.

Many doctors will recognise the problem of feeling exhausted at work, with the 2024 NHS Staff Survey finding two in five staff reported feeling worn out by the end of a shift. One in five said every waking hour is tiring.

Doctors.net.uk looks in more detail at the causes behind why some staff are worn out:

Long shifts

Staff were often scheduled to work long shifts of 12 hours or more, HSSIB investigators heard. There was “limited understanding of the impact of long shifts on fatigue and staff performance”.

Many also had to routinely work longer than the shift length by up to 3 hours, because of issues including staff shortages, mandatory training, administrative tasks and documentation.