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More than half of consultant physicians in the UK have reported consultant vacancies – the most senior in the medical workforce – in their departments last year, according to the annual consultant census from the Federation of the Royal Colleges of the Physicians.
In addition, 69% of consultant physicians were also aware of gaps on trainee rotas either daily or weekly. Seven out of ten (73%) say gaps in working rotas are having an impact on patients, with access to outpatient care (25.8%), the length of hospital stays (23.4%) and out-of-hours inpatient care (23.3%) the most cited impacts.
The majority of consultant physicians (84%) felt valued by their patients – but 44% reported having an excessive workload almost always or most of the time. Worryingly, almost one in five (18%) said they almost never feel in control of their workload and the census estimates that a similar proportion (19%) are at risk of burnout.
Consultant census shows need for delayed workforce plan
The three royal colleges of physicians representing over 50,000 physicians globally say that the findings underscore their repeated calls for the government to publish the delayed long-term workforce plan in full, with independently verified staffing projections for the next 5, 10, and 15 years, underpinned by the necessary funding.
Dr Sarah Clarke, president of the Royal College of Physicians in London, said: “It is alarming that so many of our dedicated doctors feel that their workload is out of control. Large-scale staff shortages see patients in need facing further delays to care, which in many cases negatively affects their treatment. Doctors are feeling intense strain and responsibility for making up for these shortcomings when they have been trained to do the best for their patients.
“The census data presents the stark reality that the medical workforce is under far too much strain to cope with the significant demands faced by our health service.
“The negative impact of delaying long-term workforce plan is growing by the day. It is only with effective, long-term planning that we can work to recruit more healthcare professionals and importantly ease the overwhelming pressure on the current medical workforce so we retain it. This will support doctors to provide the standard of care they know their patients deserve.”