Thank you for speaking with us today. What is your role and how long have you worked at the University?

I’m an Associate Professor in Human Resource Management Data Analytics and Interpretation. I teach, research, and pursue impactful work in the School of Business. I joined Leicester in 2021.

Can you tell us a bit about your background?
I did a business degree for my undergraduate, an economics degree in postgraduate, and was then lucky enough to secure a PhD scholarship at the University of East Anglia, studying applied labour economics. This allowed me to use quantitative analytic skills to provide robust evidence when making an inquiry, and now I focus on how workplace practice and good human resource management practice can bring the best out of people through an inclusive and supportive environment.

Why did you get into what you’re currently doing?
I’m very passionate about inclusivity. I feel everyone is unique, and should have the right to work in a fair and supportive environment to be their best, regardless of their gender, age or ethnicity. This is actually why I joined the University of Leicester.

As a lecturer, I am in a very privileged position to help students change their social economic destination. You can’t choose where you were born, but you can come to university and carve your own destiny. I would like to achieve something when it’s my time so that future generations can stand on my shoulders to do something even more advanced.

What have you found out about the working conditions of junior doctors?

I focus on the employment transition from medical graduates to their foundation doctor years. In 2022, the rate of doctors leaving after Foundation Year 2, rather than continuing training was 45%, nationally. Many attribute this to lack of flexibility, poor wellbeing and inadequate pay for the level of work and responsibility required in their roles. However, our recent research project Care in Uncertainty, shows the causes may run deeper. Our study sheds light on a deep-rooted source of stress: uncertainty. This relates in part to rotation into new job roles every four months for Foundation Year doctors, and has been exacerbated by a perceived lack of government commitment to doctors’ careers.

In our survey, 94% of trainee doctors expressed concern about the current state of NHS as a system, and 80% expressed concern about their own professional future within it. In 2023, one in four doctors left medicine after their foundation year, which is a huge waste of taxpayers’ money.

Our research clearly shows the benefit in recognising trainee doctors’ valuable contribution by improving their working/learning conditions, providing designated work/study space with access to learning/revision resources on functional PCs for their exams, protected study time, providing protected study time, hands-on support to deal with on-call demands and night shifts, and to teach them how to prioritise working day tasks. However, to ensure safe and effective patient care, there is a pressing need for the government to demonstrate commitment to trainee doctors’ careers.

How do we improve things for junior doctors?

We have developed three levels of interventions. On an individual level, we brought 60 training doctors together at Brookfield for an event in 2023 to share good practice and to learn how to build a supportive environment around themselves. We disseminated good practices, sharing how simple interactions with their peers can change things for the better. For example, some doctors would not address nurses by their names, which didn’t go down well. We shared teachings that when doctors communicate with their team effectively, they will be seen as a reliable doctor. We have two more events planned in April and July2024.

Another important element is self-care. We encourage junior doctors to look after themselves in order to care for patients.

Then at management level, there are instances where, because Foundation Year doctors are only working in one place for four months, they cannot get a parking permit in good time, or even get paid on time, and this has added extra stress to their working life.

Finally, you have the organisational and policy level. More needs to be done around compassionate leave; we met junior doctors who had to work on their own wedding days because of poor rota management. We need these issues addressed. We really hope the NHS leaders and policymakers like HEE and GMC take action on the findings we have presented to make the system run more smoothly.

We all know the NHS plays such an important role in this society, from curing patients and to reducing health inequality. It is sad to see that NHS staff become so burnt out; some junior doctors even take their own lives due to the over-stretched workload to provide care for us. We need to do something to help them.

First published by the University of Leicester