Burnout risk eases slightly among trainee doctors, but reports of unwelcome sexual conduct rise

The proportion of UK doctors in training considered at high risk of burnout has fallen slightly, according to the General Medical Council’s latest national training survey.

The 2026 survey was completed by 51,727 doctors in training and 22,923 trainers across the UK. It examined experiences including workload, wellbeing, workplace culture and the quality of medical training.

The GMC calculated that 19% of trainee doctors were at high risk of burnout, one percentage point lower than in 2025. A further 42% were assessed as being at moderate risk, meaning 61% remained at either moderate or high risk overall.

Meanwhile, 40% were placed in the low-risk category, an increase of one percentage point. The assessment was based on work-related questions drawn from the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory.

There were also small improvements in some measures of workload. Fifty-eight per cent of trainees described the intensity of their daytime workload as about right, light or very light, while 22% said their working pattern left them short of sleep on a daily or weekly basis, down two percentage points from 2025.

However, the GMC highlighted an increase in trainees reporting unwelcome sexual conduct. A total of 141 trainees said they experienced such conduct on a daily or weekly basis, 23 more than in 2025.

Although this represented around 1% of respondents to the relevant questions, the GMC described the increase as small but real and said trainees must be able to work and learn free from harassment.

The survey also found increased confidence around reporting discrimination. Seventy-five per cent of trainees said they knew how to report discrimination or could find out how, while 63% felt confident they could report it without fear of adverse consequences.

Sixty per cent said they felt confident challenging discrimination and unprofessional behaviour among colleagues and other healthcare professionals.

Overall, the GMC said the findings showed early signs of improvement but cautioned that most year-on-year changes were small and should be viewed as steady rather than transformative progress.

GMC chief executive Charlie Massey said the results would help employers, educators and healthcare organisations identify where support and action were needed.

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