Workforce planning is one of the those ‘wicked problems’ that bedevils healthcare, at the local and the national level
Highlighting this, the Royal College of GPs (RCGPs) has written to the new Health Secretary to complain of ‘a stark imbalance’ that threatens one of the government’s key NHS goals, namely increasing out of hospital care.
The RCGPs described as ‘paltry’ the number of additional family doctors that NHS England aims to recruit through its long-term workforce plan, too few to match demand. It says that under the plan, the number of consultants is set to rise by 49% by 2038, whereas the number of fully qualified GPs is due to increase by just 4%.
The Royal College is understandably concerned with the fate and future of its members, but it acknowledges that the problem is a systemic, not a sector one.
It all points to an overall problem with capacity and planning, emphasising just how difficult it is to manage competing demands in a healthcare system that the new government acknowledges is dangerously overstretched.
At PM Healthcare we speak mostly for the pharmacy sector but share the concerns of the Royal College and other commentators who are rightfully concerned about the near and distant future. A revised workforce plan must deal equitably with all providers of care.
See the RCGP’s letter here:
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