Disabled and neurodivergent doctors warn they are being denied reasonable adjustments across the NHS, putting careers, patient safety, and wellbeing at risk despite legal protections
Disabled doctors across the NHS say they are being systematically let down by employers who fail to provide even basic reasonable adjustments, leaving many struggling to work safely or stay in their jobs. This ongoing neglect can lead to burnout and emotional distress, highlighting the urgent need for support and change.
Are NHS doctors being denied reasonable adjustments against the law?
A new British Medical Association report has revealed that disabled and neurodivergent doctors are unable to access workplace adjustments because of high workloads and understaffing.
The report calls upon the Government and the health service to address the wider service pressures and their impact on staff’s ability to access reasonable adjustments.
“Exhaustion is often worn as a badge of honour.”
The study, based on experiences of 801 disabled and neurodivergent doctors and students from across the UK, exposes the extent to which many staff struggle to have their health needs recognised or ignored.
Furthermore, 67% of respondents said ‘they had notified their employer or medical school about their disability or neurodivergent status’, yet only 33% confirmed this led to improved support.
“Obtaining reasonable adjustments is such a struggle that it almost cancels out their benefit,” one doctor told the survey.
“Even though I have reasonable adjustments on paper, they don’t translate well to real life due to poor hospital infrastructure, underfunding of the NHS, and low staffing levels,” the doctor continued.
“The normalisation of burnout and working at the top of or even beyond our limits constantly is deeply problematic,” a medical student tells the association.
“Exhaustion is often worn as a badge of honour, and struggling with stamina or needing rest is interpreted as a lack of resilience. This culture not only discourages people from seeking help but also undermines the credibility of disabled students and professionals.”
Overall pressures disproportionately affect disabled and neurodivergent staff
BMA representative body chair Amit Kochhar said the weight of evidence gathered by the survey was a damning indictment of how overall pressures on the health service were disproportionately affecting disabled and neurodivergent staff.
He said, “Much of this report makes for tough reading. The findings of this survey make clear that the medical system is failing many disabled and neurodivergent medical students and doctors.
“There is now much more understanding of neurodiversity and what it means for people to be neurotypical or neurodivergent. There is greater visibility of disabled and neurodivergent medical students and doctors.
“Nevertheless, this survey’s findings highlight that the further changes we need to see are not happening quickly enough. We urgently need cultural change to tackle ableist structures and attitudes, alongside tangible changes to policies and processes. We need senior leaders to be open to doing things differently.”
The report also outlined that:
- 47% of respondents were not satisfied with the process for accessing reasonable adjustments at their place of work/study.
- 53% were not satisfied with the information available on how to access reasonable adjustments at their place of work/study.
- 54% were not satisfied with the time it took to get their reasonable adjustments put in place.
