The long and winding road: a longitudinal study of UK anaesthetists in training

While cross-sectional surveys provide a snapshot of the anaesthesia workforce, they fail to capture how pressures accumulate or when trainee disengagement actually begins. The UK anaesthesia community has historically faced a 'seven-year gap' in data between entry into training and consultant practice. The baseline results from the Longitudinal Study of the 2024 Cohort reveal a trainee population that is more diverse and open about health conditions than previous generations, but is also more stressed. Key findings include an overwhelming preference (76%) for less-than-full-time training and high levels of 'effort-reward imbalance' at the very start of specialty training. The study also identifies specific areas of concern, most notably the Acute Care Common Stem (ACCS) pathway, where non-anaesthetic rotations correlate with higher burnout, and systemic anxiety regarding training bottlenecks and the role of Anaesthesia Associates. Longitudinal research is critical to moving workforce planning from anecdote to evidence. As trainees make their experiences visible, the responsibility now falls on training bodies to use these baseline data to create more flexible, psychologically safe, and sustainable training environments.