19.12.13
‘Looming’ workforce problem for paediatric consultants
Some newly qualified paediatric consultants are having to travel overseas for work, or are in locum posts, new research from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) indicates.
A survey found that 10% now work overseas and 22% are working in non-permanent locum contracts. Of the 2011 and 2012 cohorts, 96% and 81% are currently working as consultants, respectively.
The report warns that between 2014 and 2019 there could be an average yearly surplus of 150 newly-qualified paediatric consultants, as it raises concerns that the number of doctors is outweighing the number of posts available.
Dr Carol Ewing, workforce officer at the RCPCH, said: “There is a very real workforce problem looming. Put simply, within a couple of years, if the status quo remains, we will see too many consultants for the number of posts available, forcing some out of the country and others into non-consultant posts.
“The obvious solution might to be reduce the number of trainees, but the fact is the paediatric workforce is already under immense pressure to meet the demands of a growing population, and to meet the needs of 24/7 seven day a week care delivered at the front line by senior clinical staff.
“To deliver the best possible health service for children, we believe that consultant-delivered care, coupled with the integration of supervised training, is a must – and for that we have already provided the evidence for an expansion in the number of consultant posts so that acute care can be provided on fewer sites whilst expanding care closer to home. This needs to happen before any reduction in training posts is made.
“Workforce planning must be undertaken with a long term view to plan for the safest models of care, rather than subject our services to short term change and political cycles.”
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