Responding to the announcements in Jeremy Hunt’s speech to the Conservative party conference, Prof Derek Bell, President of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, said:
“This College welcomes plans to increase the number of medical school places in England to help address the future sustainability problems facing the NHS.
“However, this will take several years to have any impact and will require much more than training places alone; we need to create a culture in the NHS where the workforce feels valued and has the time to care for patients. Creating capacity in a pressurised NHS for all those involved in training - at both an undergraduate and postgraduate level - is critical if increasing the numbers of medical school places is to work.
“We need to ensure that pursuing a career in medicine in the NHS is an attractive choice so that we attract - and retain - the best possible talent. Penalising those who consider leaving is not the way forward.
“There is also a far more urgent need to address workforce planning issues. Recent statistics have shown that gaps in rotas are having an impact on patient care so we need to look at what we can do now to address vacancies in the system.
“The UK Government must secure the long-term future of the NHS for the safety of patients in the UK by taking action now and listening to concerns being raised by the medical profession."
ENDS
Contact: Lisa Rooke - 0131 247 3688 / 07717 895628 / l.rooke@rcpe.ac.uk
