Culture of fear in the NHS needs to change

‘Instead of being supported and given the opportunity to learn, staff can face demoralising, traumatic and counterproductive bureaucratic procedures.’ Photograph: Johner Images/Getty Images/Johner RF

I completely agree with Dr Rachel Clarke’s article (As a doctor, I’m no apologist for Wes Streeting – but here’s where he’s right about the NHS, 25 September). I retired from the NHS earlier than I intended because of dealing with a ridiculous workload and feeling undervalued.

I see increasing disaffection among senior doctors. One of the many factors contributing to the decline of the NHS, and one that does not require lots of money to fix, is the changing culture created by the insidious shift of major decision-making from senior clinicians to managers. This has led to staff losing enthusiasm, simply doing their day-to-day work as best they can and not feeling that they have a role in improving service delivery.