7 August 2025
Health leaders must act to ensure Emergency Medicine clinicians can deliver safe and effective care to patients who are arriving through the doors of A&Es across the UK.
That’s the message from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) after a new survey by the General Medical Council found more than half (55%) of Emergency Medicine doctors experienced difficultly providing patient care at least once a week last year.
The only specialty which had a higher percentage was GPs – at 59%.
However, despite these serious concerns the survey also indicates some areas of improvement.
More than half of the EM clinicians polled (54%) said they were satisfied working in the profession – an increase of 8% compared to 2023; and more than two thirds (76%) reported they were part of a supportive team.
The GMC’s annual ‘Barometer’ survey for 2024 was completed during September and October last year by nearly 4,700 doctors – 264 of whom were working in Emergency Medicine.
The results published today (7 August 2025) are contained in a report titled ‘The state of medical education and practice in the UK – workplace experiences 2025’, which covers areas such as job satisfaction, wellbeing, education and training, as well as workload.
In relation to Emergency Medicine, the survey found:
- The speciality had the second largest proportion of doctors, behind those working in obstetrics and gynaecology, at high risk of burnout (24% – down from 26% in 2023).
- 64% said they are unable to progress their career as they want
- 29% said they were struggling with workload – a decrease of 3% compared to the previous year
- 18% said they taken hard steps to leave UK practice – down from 22% in 2023
Responding, Dr Adrian Boyle, President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said: “The GMC workplace survey is a clear and accurate barometer of the experience of clinicians working in Emergency Medicine.
“And some of the results are very worrying with doctors saying they are struggling to do the one thing they came into medicine to do – provide care. And the frequency with which this is occurring is as concerning as it is upsetting.
“However, there are some signs of improvement in other areas, but there is still much more to be done to ensure we are caring for our clinicians and our patients the best we can.
“RCEM has made a series of simple recommendations aimed at improving staff retention and wellbeing in Emergency Care. Implementing these simple actions would improve patient care and save money.
“The medical workforce has spoken, and politicians across the UK must listen and work to resuscitate Emergency Care so clinicians and patients get the health service everyone wants.”
The survey results come less than a month after the GMC released the findings of its 2025 Training Survey – which is mandatory for postgraduate doctors in training, now known as Resident Doctors, to complete.
More than two in three (70%) Emergency Medicine doctors in training said they are managing a heavy or very heavy workload, and almost a third (30%) felt they are at risk of burnout.
Both figures were considerably higher than the general cohort.