GMC Survey: 70% of Trainee Maternity Doctors at Moderate to High Burnout Risk, Versus 61% Across All Specialties

Trainee doctors on maternity wards are reporting the highest burnout levels in British medicine, according to the General Medical Council.

The GMC, the regulator for doctors in the UK, analysed its 2026 national training survey. It was completed by 68% of trainee doctors, almost 52,000 people. The trainees in question are fully qualified doctors still training in obstetrics and gynaecology, including registrars.

What the survey found

The numbers for obstetrics and gynaecology trainees stand apart from the rest of the profession:

• Burnout: 70% are at moderate to high risk, against 61% across all specialties.
• Sleep: One in three say they regularly suffer sleep deprivation, against one in five across all trainees.
• Speaking up: Almost one in three feel hesitant or apprehensive about approaching a senior colleague about a patient, against one in five across all specialties.

The last figure is the one the regulator is most worried about. A junior doctor who hesitates to call a consultant about a patient is a patient-safety problem, not just an HR problem.

Charlie Massey, chief executive of the GMC, said doctors who feel they cannot speak up could have a "critical impact" on patients. "Creating environments where staff are supported, listened to and feel able to raise concerns is essential," he said.

He told the BBC: "Sadly, when we see when things go wrong, it is very often because of failures in terms of culture and leadership."

Trainees point to staffing

Dr Kat Barton, chair of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists National Trainee Committee, said the survey reflects what trainees live with. "Many of us feel overstretched and close to burnout," she said. "This reflects staff shortages, working beyond our hours, and knowing that despite our best efforts, the care women receive is being affected."

Barton called on the government to "invest in safe staffing at every level, protect our time for training, and support our wellbeing and careers."

Adam Kay, the author of This Is Going to Hurt and a former junior doctor, left medicine in 2010 after a traumatic birth incident. He called the report "pretty miserable reading" and said "nothing has been done" to improve workplace culture in the 16 years since.

Kay described his own experience after caring for a mother who delivered a stillborn baby. "There was no talk of a debrief. There was no offer of time off or counselling. It's just, you know, get on with it."

He said the doctors on labour wards today are "burnt out, bullied" and do not feel able to report problems upstream. "There are fewer staff on the wards than ever," Kay said, adding that he cannot remember the last time he spoke to a doctor in the specialty who wasn't working out a plan B, whether going part time or moving abroad.

The government's response

The Department of Health and Social Care said ensuring every maternity unit "meets the highest standards" is a priority. A DHSC spokesperson said recent investigations into maternity failings had shown that staff "must feel empowered to speak up" and that their concerns "must be acted upon."

The department said all NHS trusts must now have a dedicated Freedom to Speak Up Guardian and internal routes for staff to raise concerns about the working environment, patient safety or their own wellbeing.

It also said the workforce is growing. According to the DHSC, there are now a record number of midwives in the NHS, with more than 600 added in the past year. That figure covers midwives. The GMC survey measures doctors in training.

The department said the Secretary of State, who took up the post in July, has made maternity services a personal priority. She chairs the Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, which the DHSC says is working to respond to concerns raised by staff and families.

Not all the results were negative

The GMC survey did contain some better news. Obstetrics and gynaecology trainees were more positive than average about parts of patient safety reporting, including knowing how to report safety incidents and near misses.

That sits awkwardly beside the finding that many feel apprehensive about approaching a senior colleague. Knowing the reporting procedure and feeling safe to use it are different things.

Recent high-profile maternity reviews, which examined outcomes for mothers and babies, also flagged workplace culture, leadership and the ability of staff to raise concerns.

What comes next

The taskforce chaired by the Secretary of State is the government's stated vehicle for acting on these concerns. Barton's committee is asking for safe staffing at every level and protected training time. Whether the taskforce addresses doctor staffing and rota pressure, and not only midwife numbers, is the open question the next GMC survey will begin to answer.