Box 1.
Selected quotations about changes needed to medicine in the UK before doctors will return.
| Quote number | Quote | Sex, year, specialty, grade, and location |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | ‘Less interference from Government. More professional autonomy. Less pressure to continually “do more with less”’ | Male, Y17/19, Radiology Consultant, Canada |
| 2. | ‘Less political micro-management of NHS. Establishing larger centralised service to provide better clinical care’ | Female, Y11, Paediatrics Consultant, Australia |
| 3. | ‘Taking a step back before the Patient Charter before waiting times became more important than patient care … the NHS was a great institution, better than here in France, but governments are hell bent on destroying it!’ | Female, Y11, General Practice Principal, France/Corsica/Monaco |
| 4. | ‘NHS stability (as in less privatisation and better funding generally and allied health staff retention)’ | Female, Y11, Infectious diseases Consultant, Malaysia/Brunei/Singapore |
| 5. | ‘Change in NHS system to private/insurance based’ | Female, Y11, Paediatrics Consultant, Malaysia/Brunei/Singapore |
| 6. | ‘More independence as a practitioner, less dictation to from above non-medical management’ | Female, Y17/19, General Practice Principal, Canada |
| 7. | ‘Widening role of Emergency Medicine by getting rid of 4 hr rule to see/treat/discharge or admit patients’ | Male, Y11, Emergency Medicine Registrar, Australia |
| 8. | ‘Removing free at point of care General Practice consults’ | Male, Y11, General Practice Principal, Australia/Tasmania |
| 9. | ‘A complete overhaul of the health system toward the Australian model. Tax rebate for those who have health insurance, thereby improving the demand for use of free health care by moving the wealthier into private health care’ | Male, Y11, Emergency Medicine Consultant, Australia |
| 10. | ‘Appreciation of UK graduates from Commonwealth nation … over the EU policy. Equal opportunity, based on credential & performance’ | Male, Y17/19, Cardiology Consultant, Malaysia/Brunei/Singapore |
| 11. | ‘Better pay. Better working conditions – less hours’ | Male, Y11, General Practice Principal, Hong Kong |
| 12. | ‘Continued improvements in salary and working hours’ | Female, Y11, Anaesthetics Consultant, New Zealand |
| 13. | ‘Major changes in pay and conditions’ | Male, Y11, Anaesthetics Consultant, Australia |
| 14. | ‘More competitive salary. I earn 50% more than my UK counterparts and pay far less tax’ | Male, Y17/19, Anaesthetics, Malaysia/Brunei/Singapore |
| 15. | ‘Equitable pay in the UK compared to Australia would make returning more attractive should this be a consideration in the future’ | Male, Y17/19, Emergency Medicine Consultant, Australia |
| 16. | ‘If the NHS seemed like a better place to work with better job security and proper training schemes’ | Female, Y11, Anaesthetics Clinical Fellow, Australia |
| 17. | ‘Greater ability to follow an academic career alongside a clinical one (without the clinical commitment impacting on the ability to follow an academic career)’ | Male, Y17/19, Psychiatry, University Professor, Canada |
| 18. | ‘Family-friendly working hours/contract’ | Male, Y11, Anaesthetics, Consultant, Gibraltar |
| 19. | ‘Improved part-time opportunities for specialists’ | Female, Y11, Paediatrics Consultant, Australia |
| 20. | ‘Improved working conditions, better work life balance’ | Female, Y17/19, Psychiatry Consultant, S Atlantic Islands |
| 21. | ‘Please note not just a medical but a lifestyle choice to be out of the UK therefore cannot entirely attribute my decision to a pure career reason’ | Female, Y11, Anaesthetics Consultant, New Zealand |
| 22. | ‘Decision to spend time abroad taken for family not career reasons’ | Female, Y11, General Practice Principal, New Zealand |
| 23. | ‘It has less to do with the UK situation improving and more to do with what is available in Australia where I am now working – including the weather – which I guess the NHS can’t do much about’ | Female, Y17/19, Paediatrics Consultant, Australia |
| 24. | ‘Ease of transfer/reciprocity of specialist training (recognition) gained overseas will be a determining factor’ | Female, Y17/19, Psychiatry Consultant, Australia |
| 25. | ‘The new revalidation system is putting me off’ | Female, Y11, General Practice Principal, General practice, New Zealand |
| 26. | ‘Better working conditions for GPs – longer appointments, less abuse of the NHS. Charging for consultations – as here in NZ – would go a long way’ | Female, Y11, General Practice Principal, General practice, New Zealand |
| 27. | ‘More GP partnerships as opposed to salaried posts, which creates a 2 tier split in the GP profession’ | Female, Y11, General Practice Locum, New Zealand |
| 28. | ‘Complete restructure of Emergency Medicine so it was a real speciality with proper resources’ | Male, Y17/19, Emergency Medicine Consultant, Australia |
| 29. | ‘Emergency Medicine practice to be up to date’ | Female, Y17/19, Emergency Medicine Consultant, New Zealand |
| 30. | ‘Better public opinion, less doctor bashing in media. Currently working in Canada where GPs are respected and appreciated part of the community’ | Female, Y11, General Practice Principal, Canada |
| 31. | ‘Increased professional status, pay & conditions’ | Male, Y11, Anaesthetics University Lecturer, USA |
| 32. | ‘Enjoy working in NZ as actually see sick patients and am “hands on” and not just wading through administration’ | Female, Y11, Emergency Medicine Consultant, New Zealand |
| 33. | ‘Increased clinical contact/focus and reduced bureaucracy/admin/target driven practice’ | Male, Y17/19, General Practice Principal, New Zealand |
| 34. | ‘Better pay, many specialists struggling financially. Incentives to do private practice rather than current disincentives’ | Male, Y17/19, Obstetrics and gynaecology Consultant, Australia |
Quote number cross-refers to the ‘Results’ section. Year denotes the number of years after graduation. NZ, New Zealand; GP, General Practice; NHS, National Health Service.