Staff shortages continue to impact doctor training, survey shows

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By Emma Wilkinson and Erin Dean

One in four resident doctors in the UK said their training is adversely affected because rota gaps are not dealt with appropriately, a major survey has found.

The General Medical Council’s (GMC) national training survey also found that one in three (29%) hospital doctors who are trainers said education is harmed by staffing issues.

Additionally, 141 trainees reported experiencing unwelcome sexual conduct on a daily or weekly basis, an increase of 23 trainees compared with 2025.

The GMC described it is a “small but real” increase.

The annual survey - answered by more than 51,000 doctors in training and nearly 23,000 doctors who are trainers – found 61% of resident doctors are at moderate or high risk of burnout.

However, the GMC pointed out that many indicators, including those for burnout and reporting of discrimination have shown “early signs” of improvement.

Despite “continued pressures on health services”, doctors in training were still positive about core components of their education, with over three quarters rating the quality of their teaching as good or very good, the regulator said.