Long-term impacts of coronavirus should not be underestimated

BMA Scotland has warned that the effect of the coronavirus pandemic on our NHS and its staff is likely to be felt long into the future.

A BMA survey of 1,351 Scottish doctors shows that one in four are suffering from extra stress or burnout due to impact of the pandemic on their work. Lewis Morrison, chair of BMA Scotland, said that for this and many other reasons no-one should expect the NHS to return to a comprehensive programme of more routine work at ‘the flick of a switch’.

Instead, he called for the process to be carefully managed, with a need to balance patient needs with the well-being of staff.

Morrison said: “The NHS has so far coped incredibly well with the biggest challenge it has faced since its inception. This is in no small way down to the incredible commitment, determination and sacrifice of its staff. But this is taking an inevitable toll.

“In some ways, we have taken some steps forward during the pandemic in terms of staff wellbeing – in particular through the local introduction of wellbeing spaces, the removal of parking charges and provision of hot food. That such basic measures took a pandemic to be put in place emphasises the unacceptable place that we came from, and that we cannot retreat from these improvements as Covid-19 hopefully retreats. For those of us in the NHS, if there is a silver lining to this cloud it’s the proof that the wellbeing of staff must be at the heart of what is done.

“Equally we must make sure that the welcome support services that are in place must be properly organised, communicated and continued long term. Access must be easy and tailored to the needs of the healthcare professions.”

The survey revealed that 20 per cent of doctors were not able to access the support for well-being they would like, with nearly 50 per cent saying it was the long term impact on clinical demand that was their main concern, while a quarter said it was the long term impact on them of new working arrangements.