Doctors have been denied leave to attend their own weddings, forced to use bins as chairs and left unable to use consulting rooms at under-resourced hospitals.

NHS sources say fed-up medics across the county are taking posts in New Zealand and Australia or even ditching the profession altogether for better-paid jobs in the city.

This comes as a KentOnline investigation reveals almost one in three doctors are leaving the region's hospitals each year.

Health bosses insist they are doing all they can to "boost the recruitment and retention" of staff in the south east.

But our findings have sparked concerns the doctor churn is de-stabilising hospitals - as medics say increasing numbers of their colleagues are quitting the health service.

And speaking ahead of unprecedented strikes today, Kent and Medway Partnership Trust worker Dr Joseph Kendall said: "There are a lot more leaving the NHS in general and I think this is going to continue.

"One junior doctor tried to book off a day to attend their own wedding about eight months in advance, and then they were just told two months before that they couldn’t get the time off.

"I’ve booked time off for a professional exam that costs £500 to sit, but if it happens to fall on a night shift, managers aren’t very accommodating to that.

“Lots of doctors in Kent don’t have access to computers, and there aren’t enough rooms - sometimes I’m arguing for the use of a room to examine a patient.

“Often in handover meetings, you’ll even have to perch on a bin or stand somewhere for half an hour."

Figures obtained through a series of Freedom of Information requests show the number of doctors leaving Kent hospitals each year since 2018 has leapt 45%.

Over the period, the total number of medics across the county has risen by little more than a quarter.

Insiders say a significant proportion of the departures can be attributed to junior staff moving between hospitals as part of their foundation training, a process known as rotation.

This allows them to get experience in a variety of healthcare settings, but can prove to be a headache for administrators.

Dr John Allingham, who was the medical director of the Kent Local Medical Committee for 11 years, says the system is "incredibly disruptive".

“Your stable employee base are the consultants, they tend to stay put, but everything underneath moves,” he explained.

“In theory, you could have a training rotation that moves you from Brighton to Margate.

"Most doctors try to influence the location as much as they can, but they don’t have much say in it.”

Dr Kendall, who hails from Canterbury, believes rotation schedules and unhappiness over pay and working conditions across the county contributed to a turnover rate of just under 30% last year.

At Medway NHS Foundation Trust the figure peaked at 47% in 2019

Dr Kendall also says staff are finding "their student debt and the amount they’re earning just aren’t compatible".

“One doctor I know had completed his first foundation training year and then quit the NHS to take a consulting job in the city," the 29-year-old added.

“He was faced with £100,000 in student loans and a choice between sticking with a job that pays £14 per hour, or one in finance that would pay him six figures a year.

“I know someone else who moved to New Zealand. The starting salary for a junior doctor here is £29,000, but you can get paid a lot more over there - I’ve seen jobs posted for up to £90,000.

"I can’t say what would happen if I completed all my training and I was offered a job offered for two to three times the pay outside the NHS."

A British Medical Association survey of junior doctors in England found 40% are planning to quit the NHS as soon as they can find another job.

A third of those who responded to the body's questionnaire last year also admitted they plan to work abroad, with Australia and New Zealand being the top choices.

"There is huge demand on the NHS, but we have the right staff in place to deliver safe and effective service..."

And in February, 48,000 BMA members - more than two-thirds of the junior doctor workforce - voted to stage a 72-hour walkout starting today (March 13).

The union says junior doctor pay has fallen in real terms by 26% since 2008.

“There’s no part of me that wants to go on strike, but we feel like we have no other option left to make ourselves heard," Dr Kendall added.

"Our heath service used to be world-renowned, now if you talk to people how many do you think would say they’re getting the care they deserve?

“If you look at the A&E waits in Medway Foundation Trusts, is that really an effective care system - people waiting for 12 hours?

"Services are safe, but that’s only because everyone is doing extra work while not getting paid properly."

During the three-day industrial action, junior doctors will walk out of emergency and planned care, which will mean consultants will be asked to cover in A&E units.

Despite the high churn rates and dissatisfaction, NHS chiefs say they have enough medics.

“We have the right staff in place to deliver safe and effective services,” a spokesman for NHS Kent and Medway said.

“We have several schemes to boost recruitment and retention for a number of different roles where they are needed, including hospital doctors, consultants, nurses and GPs.

“There is huge demand on the NHS since the pandemic and we are working hard to make sure we continue to expand and train our workforce to provide the best care for all patients.

“Recruitment across the country is challenging but the Kent and Medway Medical School - which opened in 2020 - is a brilliant pipeline to encourage new doctors into the area.”