|
|
 |
| |
| NHS faces skills bombshell |
Ex-consultant says crushing workloads
are driving experts into retirement
A RETIRED consultant cardiologist has warned hospitals face an
exodus of experienced doctors who fear the burden of on-call hours
as they grow older.
Dr Roy Davies, who worked as a leading consultant at the Whittington
Hospital for 27 years, retired in April, aged 62.
He believes experienced consultants retiring early will leave a
great gap in knowledge within the NHS.
His warning is backed up by a report by the Royal College of Physicians
in Regent’s Park. The report from the college summarises 5,000
responses to a nationwide survey of consultant physicians.
The response highlights a growing problem relating to the career
of consultants and has ignited a national debate into how experienced
doctors can be tempted to stay on for the benefit of the NHS.
It found that 78 per cent of consultant physicians intend to retire
before the national retirement age of 65 because of the heavy burden
of being on-call.
Dr Davies, now living in Wales, said on-call hours was the reason
he retired three years early.
He said: “One of the worst experiences of my life was two summers
ago when I worked 13 nights on-call out of 16.
“The reason I retired is that I could see before me a host
of under-skilled junior staff and me increasingly taking the workload.
“The Royal College must be worried – it’s only going
to get worse.”
Because a quarter of consultants are over 55, the college is worried
the NHS will lose hundreds of key, experienced staff within the
next 10 years.
The RCP stated that if 78 per cent of physicians retired at 62,
it would represent a loss of more than 6,000 years of experience
in the NHS – the equivalent of losing two physicians from every
large hospital.
The survey also exposed that, on average, NHS consultants were working
60 hours a week – 12 hours more than the 48 hours allowed by
the European Working Time Directive. The directive lays down minimum
requirements for working hours.
To bring the hours worked by consultants in line with the European
law, hospitals would need to expand its consultant workforce by
28 per cent.
The RCP, which has shared its findings with the Department of Health,
has come up with a solution to keep consultants in their jobs as
long as possible.
The RCP believes consultant physicians nearing the end of their
careers are keen to stay on to do speciality work, management and
post-graduate education, passing on their knowledge.
By allowing consultants to concentrate on these areas, the NHS could
prevent an early exodus, retain their valuable experience, and improve
the training of junior doctors.
But Dr Davies did not think the idea would wash with consultants.
He said: “Who do they think is going to go for that? I can’t
see any consultants starting to teach at the end of their careers.
They should get into the real world.”
Dr Alistair McIntyre, of the RCP, hoped the report’s findings
would spur the government into action.
He said: “We need to change the working environment and workload
to encourage this experienced workforce to stay in the NHS. I am
sure that together we can develop working solutions.” |
|
Hopes of bypassing supermarket titans
WHAT have supermarkets done for us? They have enabled more of us to
enjoy...
FULL STORY
Cheap tickets give us taste of the past
SOMETHING didn’t feel quite right as I hurried along a busy Seven
Sisters Road on the way to the England...
FULL STORY
|
