15.08.12
New consultants face harsh job market – RCP
Consultants are struggling to find work in a financially restricted NHS, the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has stated.
A survey of Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) holders showed that there has been an increase in the average number of applications for consultant posts made, with a falling success rate across all specialities.
There is an increasing number of ‘post-CCT’ jobs offered, rather than full consultant positions and certain specialties have a persistently high rate of unsuccessful applications: endocrinology, gastroenterology, renal medicine and genitor-urinary medicine.
The RCP is calling for the new health and social care system to embed medical workforce planning at its heart and to improve flexibility in medical careers to reduce over and under supply of consultants.
Dr Andrew Goddard, director of the RCP’s medical workforce unit said: “This survey indicates that a cash-strapped NHS is struggling to employ newly qualified consultants – an example of hospitals being on the edge since they are struggling to meet the needs of acutely ill patients.
“The NHS needs to provide a consultant delivered service 12 hours a day, seven days a week. We have the doctors coming out of training to do this but we need to ensure there are the jobs available to keep them in the NHS. This survey adds to the growing body of evidence that shows the importance of national workforce planning based on rigorous data.”
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