MDDUS has hosted a reception in the Scottish Parliament to draw attention to the ‘silent emergency’ amongst doctors and dentists.
MSPs were joined by senior leaders from across the health sector and the Scottish Cabinet Secretary Neil Gray to hear about the concerning impact of moral distress on clinicians.
The event, sponsored by Dame Jackie Baillie MSP, was organised by MDDUS to highlight data from its membership survey in 2024 that found 57% of our members in Scotland had experienced moral distress because of their work. ‘Moral distress’ is the unease doctors feel when they cannot make sure a patient gets the speed, quality or type of care that their skills, training and judgment tells them the sick person needs. The term captures their frustration at their inability to discharge their professional duties properly.
Ms Baillie addressed the guests
“We frequently talk about the crisis in the NHS. The 800,000 people on waiting lists, and the corridor-care because our hospitals are overflowing, but we can sometimes forget the emotional toll that this takes on the workforce.
“No doctor, no dentist should go home feeling they’ve let their patients down because the system isn’t working for them. This is happening all too often and it is pushing many to breaking point.”
We're on your side
Chris Kenny, MDDUS chief executive, warned that unless wellbeing services in Scotland are improved, doctors and dentists will continue to buckle under the pressure, putting both staff and patients at risk.
Addressing the Cabinet Secretary, Mr Kenny proposed the creation of an independent expert working group, bringing together stakeholders from across the healthcare sector, to develop practical recommendations for the Scottish Government and the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee on how to support healthcare professionals.
MDDUS’ in-depth survey of doctors and dentists’ experience at work also uncovered how many struggle to cope, not only with stress, but with almost daily threats of abuse from patients. They are committed to delivering high-quality care, but can only do so if the policy makers and NHS employers have their back.
Wellbeing challenge
“The challenge we’re going to give you,” Mr Kenny said, “is to find a way to deliver the best level of wellbeing provision for clinicians across Scotland. The existing services are a good start, but a more coordinated approach that gets to the heart of moral distress is necessary.
We think there is a case for a taskforce – with a short life, set to produce recommendations by the summer – looking at the causes of moral distress, hearing from staff, and then making recommendations based on good practice, evidence and efficiency.
We hope the Scottish Government will be able to respond to its findings with a clear action plan and with cross-party support. After all, workforce wellbeing is essential to achieving the wider health agenda, so it’s critical we get this right.”
Hearing from frontline staff
MSPs also heard from MDDUS members about their experiences. Professor Lindsey Pope, a GP based in Greenock, spoke candidly of the challenges facing primary care staff.
In the following Q&A, members from across Scotland, including Dr Kirsten Woolley and Dr Elaine Rocke from NHS Lothian, echoed Mr Kenny’s concerns about systemic issues in the healthcare service holding doctors back.
Dr Rocke said: “We cannot provide safe care for our patients as things stand and have no prospect of recruiting more doctors due to financial constraints. This block on recruiting due to lack of funds is widespread and newly qualified GPs cannot find jobs.
“Instead, they’re having to work for Uber and supermarkets – what a waste of young intelligent people.”
Looking after yourself
Protecting your wellbeing isn’t always about finding clinical solutions – it’s also about taking time to reflect and recover.
That’s why MDDUS welcomed Sam Tongue from the Scottish Poetry Library, who introduced Tools of the Trade – a pocket-sized anthology of poems given to medical students at their graduation from university.
The Tools of the Trade project, part-sponsored by MDDUS, gives young doctors a source of inspiration and comfort as they begin their careers, recognising that medicine is as much about human connection as it is about clinical decision-making.
