Exclusive: Family doctors say they are so worn out by their jobs that they struggle to empathise with their patients

Seven in 10 GPs suffer from compassion fatigue and struggle to empathise with patients because they are worn out from caring for them, a survey has found.

Family doctors say they are so emotionally and physically exhausted from hearing about patients’ problems and circumstances that it is compromising the quality of care they provide.

21% of medics had thought about self-harm or suicide at least once.

85% of GPs who had had suicidal feelings blamed that on the impact of their job.

84% of GPs experienced verbal abuse and 24% physical abuse by patients during 2024.

Long waits for care (79%) and complaints about care (51%) were the most common reasons.