HOSPITAL consultants are being “disenfranchised” as they feel “overworked and undervalued,” leading medics warned today.

The Royal College of Physicians, Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow urged the new government to do more to retain senior hospital doctors.

Almost half of NHS consultants polled by the colleges across Britain said their enjoyment in their job has decreased over the last year, and 39 per cent said they have an excessive workload almost all or most of the time.

The top three factors negatively affecting wellbeing at work were clinical workload, poorly functioning IT and staff vacancies.

More than two in three consultants said they were very or somewhat stressed at work and 61 per cent of consultants said morale in their department had decreased in the last year.

Nearly 60 per cent reported at least one consultant vacancy in their department and 17 per cent reported that another health professional has been appointed in place of a consultant.

More than a quarter said that in the last year, they had decided to retire at an earlier age.

Dr Mumtaz Patel of the Royal College of Physicians said: “The medical workforce is the lifeblood of the NHS.

“While we must train more doctors to meet demand, retaining the staff we already have is critical to getting our health service back on a firm footing and delivering many of the new government’s promised commitments on the NHS.

“Unless we urgently improve working conditions, we face losing many of our brightest and most committed.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said the government “has a mission to get the NHS back on its feet and build an NHS fit for the future.”