ABSTRACT
Burnout is a pervasive and debilitating state that results from an unsustainable period of overwhelming stress. Burnout seems to be especially common amongst those in caring professions such as health care, social work and teaching, with a prevalence of up to 25" in these professions suggested by some research. Burnout comprises three major components: emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and an absent sense of personal accomplishment. A general practitioner (GP) workforce struggling with stress and burnout, working ineffectively and providing poor patient care is self-evidently bad for the system, and the system is already demonstrably beginning to suffer because of this. Tackling GP stress and burnout should therefore be central to any strategy to improving National Health Service (NHS) services. Poor primary care practice, or an overwhelmed primary care service, shifts the burden of its work towards secondary care, either by higher rates of routine referrals or by causing increased attendance to emergency departments.
