Losing NHS doctors early is costing £2.4bn a year, BMA estimates

Urgent action is needed to stem the exodus of doctors from the NHS, which is damaging patient care and costing taxpayers up to £2.4bn a year, the BMA has warned. With an estimated 15 000 to 23 000 doctors in England having left the NHS prematurely between September 2022 and September 2023, the cost of replacing them and their expertise would be between £1.6bn and £2.4bn, it said.

With rising numbers of doctors indicating they were taking steps to leave the profession, the BMA warned this figure could rise to as much as £5bn a year in the coming years. This represents not only a huge …