GP chief warns over WFH culture

WORKING from home could have a profound impact on the nation’s mental health, the head of the Royal College of GPs has warned.

Dr Clare Gerada said she had seen the damage that isolation and a lack of clear boundaries between home life and work can cause.

Speaking to The Mail on Sunday’s Medical Minefield podcast this week, the former psychiatrist added: ‘I am increasingly worried about businesses that say there is no longer an office to go to. Moments of interaction are crucial for wellbeing – without them you’ll see more stress and more anxiety.’

Dr Gerada, who runs a mental health support service for doctors, continued: ‘I know of many doctors who suffered due to the isolation of working from home, and having no boundaries around their work. They’d log on at 7am, do a day’s work then log off at 9pm with no break, and it becomes demoralising.

‘If you move ten metres from your bedroom to your office, day in day out, you might expect mental health to suffer.’ Her comments came after culture guru Malcolm Gladwell caused a social media storm by saying: ‘It’s not in your best interest to work at home. If you’re just sitting in your pyjamas in your bedroom… what have you reduced your life to?’

And neuropsychologist Katharine James said: ‘We need firms to tackle this head on now to divert a future mental health crisis.’