The universal GP Training website for everyone, not just Bradford.   Created in 2002 by Dr Ramesh Mehay

Where are we with Wellbeing?

a reflection

By Karen Forshaw
GP Doncaster (Yorkshire & the Humber)

By Chrisssie Mowbray
Chartered Physiotherapist (Yorkshire)

Unfortunately, the statistics are rather dismal: The GMC national training survey 2021 reports that:

  • 33% of trainees feel burnt out to a high/very high degree because of their work.
  • Three in five trainees said they always or often feel worn out at the end of the working day. 44% feel their work is emotionally exhausting to a high/very high degree.
  • 22% of GP trainers and 25% of secondary care trainers feel burnt out to a high/very high degree because of their work.
  • 71% of GP trainers and 49% of secondary care trainers said they always or often feel worn
  • 30% of GP trainers and 29% of secondary care trainers feel frustrated by their work to a high/very high degree.

The BMA Covid-tracker survey February 2021 concurs, reporting

  • 32% of respondents said they are ‘more likely’ to take early retirement (1,352 respondents)
  • 21% of respondents said the same to leaving the NHS for another career (882)
  • 25% of respondents said they are ‘more likely’ to take a career break (1,065)
  • 17% of respondents said they were ‘more likely’ to work in another country (728)
  • 50% of respondents said the same for working fewer hours (2,099)

The pressure in primary care is enormous and more recently we have received really bad press, particularly on social media. The service has changed due to the pandemic but patients often don’t understand this and are expressing their frustration. It is really hard not to take this personally when we are working so closely with people.

www.resilientpractice.co.uk shares a large number of diverse tools and techniques to get you started.  Click the button below.

Are you thriving in the current climate? The pandemic is not over. How will you sustain your mental wellbeing in the months to come?

You have the power to build the personal resilience that is paramount for maintaining optimum performance and mental wellbeing over the course of a long career by learning tools and techniques that help.

We have experienced resistance to our resilience training methods because of a drive to change the system rather than focusing on increasing the individual’s ability to cope in a harsh environment. We absolutely agree that the system is broken and needs reform. However, as practising healthcare professionals we know that clinician burnout is happening right now. And we can all do something about that RIGHT NOW.

We all need to wake up and accept responsibility for our own well-being. When we do, we have all the power.

So while our leaders lobby for reform, we want to share resilience tools and techniques with as many people as possible and we want you to take them away and teach them to colleagues, family, friends and patients. For more information see

Other resources include:

  • NHS Practitioner Health
  • BMA counselling service

There are many recognised benefits to practising Mindfulness.

  • Stress relief
  • Reduces BP
  • Reduces pain
  • Improves sleep
  • Reduces anxiety
  • Improves overall wellbeing

There are several ways to improve your mindfulness skills. Follow the links below for in-depth articles and step-by-step tools.

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How IT ALL STARTED
WHAT WE'RE ABOUT
WHO ARE WE FOR?

Bradford VTS was created by Dr. Ramesh Mehay, a Programme Director for Bradford GP Training Scheme back in 2001. Over the years, it has seen many permutations.  At the time, there were very few resources for GP trainees and their trainers so Bradford decided to create one FOR EVERYONE. 

So, we see Bradford VTS as  the INDEPENDENT vocational training scheme website providing a wealth of free medical resources for GP trainees, their trainers and TPDs everywhere and anywhere.  We also welcome other health professionals – as we know the site is used by both those qualified and in training – such as Associate Physicians, ANPs, Medical & Nursing Students. 

Our fundamental belief is to openly and freely share knowledge to help learn and develop with each other.  Feel free to use the information – as long as it is not for a commercial purpose.   

We have a wealth of downloadable resources and we also welcome copyright-free educational material from all our users to help build our rich resource (send to bradfordvts@gmail.com).

Our sections on (medical) COMMUNICATION SKILLS and (medical) TEACHING & LEARNING are perhaps the best and most comprehensive on the world wide web (see white-on-black menu header section on the homepage).

4th February 2024 

WHAT's HAPPENING?

Here are some updates planned over the next 6 months

  1. Updating the SCA exam pages with cases and videos.
  2. Clinical Specialty areas all being updated with current guidance and easy to understand diagrams and flow charts.
  3. Videos being created for some of the pages for those of you who prefer to watch than read.
  4. We’ve got some bradfordvts helpers to contribute and develop their own pages or areas of interest.  If you would like to be a bradfordvts helper, email me rameshmehay@googlemail.com
  5. We provide all of this for free. But it costs us money to run.  If you could kindly donate something, that would be great.  We do all of this for you.   Please hit the button below. xxx