Focus on physicians survey launched to provide key insights on the challenges faced by consultants and SAS doctors

The three UK medical royal colleges representing physicians have today (12/03/25) launched the Focus on physicians survey to gather essential insights into the challenges faced by the consultant physician and SAS doctor workforce.

The survey will explore seven key areas: rotas and vacancies, clinical delivery, job planning, educational and clinical supervision, clinical research, wellbeing at work, and plans for the future.

In addition, the survey will include questions provided by specialist societies to capture a more detailed understanding of the specific challenges facing physicians across the medical specialties.

Dr John Dean, clinical vice president at the Royal College of Physicians, said:

 ‘The challenges currently facing you as physicians, your patients and the NHS are severe and complex. From patients receiving care in unsuitable environments such as hospital corridors to significant delays in elective care and discharge, workforce gaps and uncertainties, rising levels of staff burnout and barriers to engaging in research activity. The pressures on physicians, the healthcare system and our patients are unprecedented.

‘The Focus on physicians survey will be an invaluable tool for gaining deep understanding of these very real and pressing issues facing consultant physicians. Urgent action is needed and the voice of physicians working in the NHS must be central in guiding government reform.

‘This offers a vital opportunity for consultant physicians to inform decision makers, ensuring that actions taken are directly influenced by your experiences.’

Professor Hany Eteiba, president of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, said:

‘Physicians in all four nations continue to face unprecedented challenges, working under increasingly difficult circumstances to deliver the best quality service while providing compassionate and supportive care to their patients.

‘The future of our health service is largely dependent on our people, who are at the frontline of service delivery. As respective governments across the country seek to radically reform our NHS, it is vital that we listen – and hear – your experiences to ensure they are at the forefront of informing decisions. The Focus on physicians survey is an opportunity for doctors to provide a critical insight into the challenges you and your colleagues face.’

Professor Andrew Elder, president of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, said:

‘Our annual survey of physicians in the UK gives us the chance to define robust data on the state of the physician workforce in the UK to identify key areas of concern. It is an extremely important opportunity for active Fellows and Members of the College to have their say. We remain alarmed that many physicians are continuing to work under extreme pressure in clinical settings, with levels of consultant vacancies and rota gaps remaining high, and too many colleagues facing the risk of burnout. Excessive and incessant workloads also impact detrimentally on the training and supervision of our resident doctors.

‘I strongly encourage physician and SAS colleagues to complete the survey and provide information on their own experiences. The more responses we receive, the better our data will be and the more we can use it effectively when influencing decision makers across the four nations of the UK.’

How to complete the Focus on physicians 2025 survey

To complete the Focus on physicians 2025 survey, you should have received an email with a direct link to the survey.

If you have not yet received the email, please check your inbox or contact medicalworkforce.unit@rcp.ac.uk for assistance.

The survey is also available via the following link https://www.rcpworkforce.com/se/253122AC25441435

Your participation is crucial, and we encourage all physicians to share their insights and help shape the future of healthcare delivery.

The survey will be open for 2 months, closing on Monday 2 June.