Most trainee doctors in Ireland rate their own health as being good or excellent, however a significant minority admit to having poor mental health and a poor quality of life, a new report has found.

The report, Your Training Counts, is based on the first ever survey carried out on trainee doctors here. It revealed that while many believe they are in good health, at least one in five (21%) scored low on a wellbeing assessment, which suggests potential problems with mental health and general wellbeing.

Furthermore, almost one in five (18%) described their quality of life as poor or very poor.

Not surprisingly, trainees who said that they were undermined in their roles, or who had been bullied, reported poorer general and mental health.

This was also the case for trainees who worked more than 60 hours per week.

The report also noted that overall, trainees working in hospitals reported a poorer quality of life than those working in GP practices.

"It is positive that the majority of trainees are in good health, however, good health is more than physical fitness and freedom from disease. This data has raised issues about the quality of life and wellbeing of trainee doctors which will not be ignored," commented Caroline Spillane, CEO of the Medical Council, which carried out the research.

She said that the link between poorer health and wellbeing with longer hours and bullying ‘is particularly of concern'.

"We will be sharing these findings with all parties involved in medical education and it's important that we have a collective response so that trainee doctors experiencing poorer health or quality of life receive the support necessary at this pivotal stage of their career," she added.

The Medical Council is responsible for regulating medical doctors in Ireland.