Medical profession at ‘crunch point’

The UK’s medical profession is at ‘crunch point’ and will suffer increasing pressure over the next 20 years unless action is taken, the General Medical Council (GMC) has warned.

The GMC’s report, State of Medical Education and Practice, highlights four ‘warning signs’: supply of new doctors into the UK’s medical workforce has failed to keep pace with changes in demand - the number of doctors on the medical register has grown by two per cent since 2012, whilst in contrast A&E attendances and GP appointments have risen sharply and in England there has been a 27 per cent increase in A&E attendances in that time, while Northern Ireland saw a 10 per cent increase; dependence on non-UK qualified doctors has increased, ranging from 18 per cent in the south-west to 43 per cent in the east of England; at the same time the UK is at risk of becoming a less attractive place for overseas doctors to work in; and continuing pressure on doctors involved in training and a greater desire for more flexibility in how they work and train.

Although there is work underway to undress these issues and pressure on doctors, their impact will not register for some time and the GMC believes more needs to be done to see the challenges on the horizon.

The report sets out four key priorities for workforce planning and how the GMC will work to support them in the years to come: maintaining a healthy supply of good doctors into UK practice; helping the UK medical profession to evolve to meet the future needs of patients and healthcare; reducing the pressure and burden on doctors wherever possible; and improving the culture of the workplace, making employment and training more supportive and flexible.

The report follows the launch of the consultation by Health Education England on future workforce provision for the health service.

Charlie Massey, chief executive of the GMC, said: “We have reached a crucial moment – a crunch point – in the development of the UK’s medical workforce. The decisions that we make over the next five years will determine whether it can meet these extra demands.

“Each country needs to think carefully about how many doctors are needed, what expertise we need them to have so they can work as flexibly as possible, and where they should be located given the changes and movement in population expected.

“We are a professional regulator, not a workforce planning body, but we want to be an active partner in helping each country of the UK to address these priorities.

“The underlying challenge for all in healthcare is how we retain the good doctors we have right now. Everything we hear from the profession tells us that we need to value them more; nurture cultures that are safe and supportive, and do what we can to help staff achieve the right balance between their professional and personal lives through more flexible working arrangements.

“The pressure on our health services shows no signs of letting up. It’s on all of us to understand why doctors are making different choices about their lives and careers.”