Warning of looming doctor shortage for NHS

A GROWING number of doctors wanting to work part-time could lead to huge staff shortages, the president of a royal college has warned.

The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) said more than a quarter of senior consultant physicians are expected to retire in the next three years, and many within 18 months, while the majority of trainees entering the NHS – a total of 56 per cent – are interested in working part-time.

A fifth of doctors already work part-time and this trend looks likely to increase in popularity, according to the college.

Speaking as the NHS celebrates its 73rd birthday with a national day of thanksgiving, Andrew Goddard, president of the RCP, said: “It is right that we should celebrate the achievements of healthcare staff during the pandemic as we mark the NHS’s birthday, but the pressures we have faced have been greater than they needed to be because of existing staffing shortages.

“If we do not address this problem, we will have much less to celebrate in future. Caring commitments and health reasons will be key drivers behind part-time working, but we have to view this as part of a wider cultural shift.

“If a majority of trainees coming into the system are keen to work part-time, we need to find a way to make that happen to keep attracting people into the profession and retaining them.

“The NHS has recognised that and wants to offer flexible working, but it is stuck in a true Catch-22 situation where it cannot do the very thing needed to attract more staff because it doesn’t have enough staff at the moment.”

Results published today of the RCP’s poll of 1,523 medics found 43 per cent of doctors have not yet

reverted to their original working pattern owing to Covid-19.

Some 57 per cent are working from home at least some of the time, while 67 per cent said working from home has improved their work/life balance.

More than 60 per cent, and 72 per cent of trainees, want opportunities for remote IT access, online meetings and remote working to be available in the future.

Meanwhile, 65 per cent reported their organisation had made changes to enable more flexible working during the pandemic. A third of those who wanted to work more flexibly thought this would be difficult or impossible, while 35 per cent thought it would be easy.

While 59 per cent of doctors thought their department would support a request to work more flexibly, 41 per cent did not think so, with more than three-quarters citing not enough medical staff as the reason.