NHS Confederation responds to RCP data on unfilled physician jobs
Responding to the UK-wide consensus of doctors conducted by the Royal College of Physicians of London, the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said:
"With the NHS already carrying 105,000 staff shortages, these new figures from the Royal College of Physicians showing that shortages are particularly acute and worsening within qualified medical professions is very worrying.
"Hardworking NHS staff are doing their utmost to help services recover from the pandemic, but they remain severely overstretched and under-supported.
"We urgently need a commitment to deliver a fully funded workforce plan across health and care. Without one the NHS will not have the capacity to make greater progress in reducing treatment backlogs or deal with surges in demand due to rising Covid cases.
"As the NHS and its partners step up once again, leaders of these services are clear that we will need support to lock-in the lessons we learned from the first surge about letting local leaders lead and supporting them with the resources they need."
