A doctor said the relentless stress of the job caused a burnout that was 'terrifying'.

It comes amid a call for more investment for family doctors from campaigners and concerns that medical students are being put off becoming GPs.

Dr Rachel Ward, a GP at Woodlands Medical Centre in Didcot, said: “I see every day colleagues who are experiencing such high levels of stress and burnout and financial challenges that they are quitting the profession.

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“Some of the most incredible dynamic, empathetic doctors that I’ve ever met have been GPs, and it is terrifying and so sad to see these individuals leave the profession.

Oxford Mail:

“I myself went through a period of burnout about 18 months ago and it was terrifying.

"I would class myself as a very resilient, diligent person. And the pure, consistent stress that I was under was terrifying.”

Dr Ward also said the country is failing to invest in health promotion, early detection and community care.

She said an example of this is type 2 diabetes, adding: “When I started out as a doctor 20 years ago, most type 2 diabetics were actually managed by specialists.

“Today type 2 diabetes is core general practice, and it is a condition that we see exponentially increasing due to poor lifestyle factors and obesity in the UK.

“In order to manage this huge chronic disease we need ongoing investment.”

Campaign group Rebuild General Practice claims GP funding has been cut by almost £350million in real terms since 2019.

Its poll of 4,097 adults, conducted by YouGov, found 52 per cent of people in England think GP funding should be prioritised and should come second only to investment in A&E departments.

A new survey by the British Medical Association (BMA), which found qualified doctors training to become GPs in the UK are facing increased levels of burnout.

The poll of almost 3,200 GP registrars found 72.9 per cent were experiencing stress and 66.4 per cent were working outside their scheduled hours most days or every day.

Of those who took part in the survey, less than 10 per cent said they intend to work as a full-time GP.

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Dr Malinga Ratwatte, chair of the BMA GP registrars committee, said the findings "might be shocking, but the revelations come as no surprise given the way we’re seeing our profession dismantled at the moment, with no credible solutions being implemented".

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We are improving access to GPs by delivering 50 million more GP appointments every year.

“The most recent data shows GP funding increased in real terms by 19 per cent between 2017/18 and 2021/22, and we recently announced our Pharmacy First scheme, which is backed by £645 million and aims to free up 10 million GP appointments per year.”

“We are also investing £240 million on digital tools and training to ensure GP surgeries have what they need to improve access for patients.”