Shortage of rural doctors ‘putting lives in jeopardy’
THE lives of patients in rural areas could be at risk due to a nationwide shortage of country doctors, experts have warned.
Around one in seven consultants (15 per cent) are taking jobs in countryside and coastal areas, leaving rural communities ‘under- doctored’, the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has said.
It is feared local housing shortages and better career opportunities at more prestigious city hospitals are putting them off.
In 2018-19, hospitals in urban areas across the UK – minus Scotland where there were no comparable figures – hired 866 doctors, but those with rural patient populations recruited only 153.
Professor Andrew Goddard, president of the RCP, said: ‘The results of our census are an incredibly alarming indication of the huge disparities in care across the country. Some rural areas are so severely under-doctored that patient lives could potentially be at risk.’
Across England, only 13 per cent of consultant appointments last year went to countryside and coastal hospitals, while there were none to nonurban hospitals in Northern Ireland. The situation was better in Wales – almost two in five consultants were appointed outside of cities and towns.
The report, which surveyed 8,500 senior doctors, found location was cited as the most important factor when deciding to take a job.
It was prioritised by 55 per cent of women and 51 per cent of men. The report did not report on the reasons for the rural-urban divide.
However, coastal areas can have high house prices, and rural hospitals might be unapsaid pealing to consultants because of existing staff shortages.
Large teaching hospitals and centres of excellence are also thought to pull in trainee doctors. Two in five senior doctors they faced gaps on hospital rotas every day or week, which can put strain on family life and work-life balance where staff are forced to step in.
Professor Goddard said: ‘A major part of the problem stems from the fact that medical schools don’t have enough places to offer those who are keen to study the subject.’
The census found 43 per cent of advertised consultant posts go unfilled – mostly because there are no applicants.
In the North, the proportion was 46 per cent while it was 30 per cent in London. The Midlands had almost three times as many vacancies as the capital – 161 compared to 62.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: ‘The NHS has more consultants now than at any time in its history, with over 17,300 more doctors working in the NHS since 2010 delivering excellent, safe care to patients.
‘We also have record numbers of doctors in undergraduate training, recently adding 1,500 extra training places by opening five new medical schools across England – the majority in rural areas.’
‘Incredibly alarming’