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Battling Burnout: Write to your MP

We’ve already run a national survey of GP burnout using the validated Maslach Burnout Inventory, and publicised the issue in the national press. Now we’re asking for your help to take the campaign to Parliament, as we lobby for better monitoring of GP workload and much more consistent occupational health support.

If you’d like to support Pulse’s campaign and raise awareness about a critical issue for the profession, we are inviting you to write to your MP.

You can use the form at the bottom of this page to find out who your MP is and how to easily contact them using the WriteToThem website.

Before you start

-       Please write to your MP in your own words. Many MPs who get lots of identical emails about a particular issue don’t see them as reflective of their constituents’ needs, so it’s more effective to talk about the problem of GP burnout in your own words. But below are some suggestions about what you might like to cover.

-       Write only to your own MP – unless you are a constituent, they will not be able to respond.

-       Please be concise, polite and to the point – a short, well-structured email setting out the main concerns is most likely to be effective.

What to write

-       What you write is entirely up to you, and as highlighted above, an individually written email is most likely to be effective. However you may wish to highlight that you are writing in response to Pulse’s national Battling Burnout campaign and cover its major findings.

-       Outline the scale of the problem. Our survey in June of almost 1,800 GPs using the validated Maslach Burnout Inventory tool found that 43% are at high risk of burnout – you can reference the full results here. You may also wish to highlight the burnout study published in BMJ Open last year, and LMC statistics on pastoral support. If you have personal experience of burnout or its impact you could also describe this.

-       Suggest what can be done to tackle burnout. Pulse is lobbying for better monitoring of GP workload and much more consistent occupational health support – taxpayer-funded and nationwide – for those GPs who need it.

-       Ask your MP to take the issue on.They might be able to ask a question in the House of Commons, help publicise the issue among colleagues or perhaps raise an Early Day Motion. You might also like to consider inviting your MP to your surgery to discuss in more detail the workload pressures the profession is facing.

And finally…

-       Once you’ve emailed your GP, please drop us a quick email at feedback@pulsetoday.co.uk to let us know you’ve done so, so that we have an idea of how many GPs have been able to raise the issue. And please also do let us know what you hear back…

To get in touch with your local MP type your postcode into the box below:

 

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