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| Hospital staffing crisis as 40% of consultant posts remain vacant Hospital staffing crisis as 40% of consultant posts remain vacant | |
| (4 months later) | |
| Hospitals are facing such chronic shortages of medical personnel that 40% of senior doctors’ posts remained vacant, new figures reveal. | Hospitals are facing such chronic shortages of medical personnel that 40% of senior doctors’ posts remained vacant, new figures reveal. |
| Vacancies are so widespread that the government’s push to create a seven-day NHS is at risk, according to the head of the Royal College of Physicians. | Vacancies are so widespread that the government’s push to create a seven-day NHS is at risk, according to the head of the Royal College of Physicians. |
| NHS hospital trusts are finding it impossible to fill key posts because of a lack of consultants equipped to do the job, according to the RCP’s latest annual audit of doctors working in hospitals. | NHS hospital trusts are finding it impossible to fill key posts because of a lack of consultants equipped to do the job, according to the RCP’s latest annual audit of doctors working in hospitals. |
| “Our census data shows that 40% of consultant posts remain unfilled, nearly always due to a lack of candidates,” Prof Jane Dacre will tell the college’s annual conference on Tuesday. | “Our census data shows that 40% of consultant posts remain unfilled, nearly always due to a lack of candidates,” Prof Jane Dacre will tell the college’s annual conference on Tuesday. |
| “I fell sorry for NHS trusts, I really do. Across the country they have created a raft of new posts to meet the exponentially rising demands for patient care, only to find that there is no one to fill them. And our cash-strapped NHS trusts would not be creating posts unless they really needed them,” Dacre will add. | “I fell sorry for NHS trusts, I really do. Across the country they have created a raft of new posts to meet the exponentially rising demands for patient care, only to find that there is no one to fill them. And our cash-strapped NHS trusts would not be creating posts unless they really needed them,” Dacre will add. |
| Severe staff shortages are one of the reasons the NHS is facing “a gathering storm” of pressures, including huge financial problems, disillusioned junior doctors and an unrelenting rise in the number of patients being admitted as emergencies. | Severe staff shortages are one of the reasons the NHS is facing “a gathering storm” of pressures, including huge financial problems, disillusioned junior doctors and an unrelenting rise in the number of patients being admitted as emergencies. |
| Shortages of trainee doctors are so serious that one in five members of the RCP, which represents non-specialist hospital doctors in England, believes that patient care is compromised, she will add. | Shortages of trainee doctors are so serious that one in five members of the RCP, which represents non-specialist hospital doctors in England, believes that patient care is compromised, she will add. |
| Dacre, the college’s president and a consultant rheumatologist, will recount how an employment agency last week asked her by email if she could work three 12-hour shifts as a senior house officer – a junior doctor role – in the Isle of Wight. | Dacre, the college’s president and a consultant rheumatologist, will recount how an employment agency last week asked her by email if she could work three 12-hour shifts as a senior house officer – a junior doctor role – in the Isle of Wight. |
| “So my first big question for the secretary of state is – if the president of the Royal College of Physicians is being asked to cover SHO posts 70 miles away, if we have neither trainees nor consultants to run the service now, how are we going to implement a safe seven-day service?” | “So my first big question for the secretary of state is – if the president of the Royal College of Physicians is being asked to cover SHO posts 70 miles away, if we have neither trainees nor consultants to run the service now, how are we going to implement a safe seven-day service?” |
| The NHS is under pressure largely because it gets less money than it needs and has 20-25% fewer doctoers than many comparable countries, Dacre will add. | The NHS is under pressure largely because it gets less money than it needs and has 20-25% fewer doctoers than many comparable countries, Dacre will add. |
| She will reject health secretary Jeremy Hunt’s drive to force junior doctors in England to work more at weekends and warn that imposing a new contract on them will deter medical graduates from joining the profession, “with knock-on effects on patient care”. | She will reject health secretary Jeremy Hunt’s drive to force junior doctors in England to work more at weekends and warn that imposing a new contract on them will deter medical graduates from joining the profession, “with knock-on effects on patient care”. |
| The Department of Health responded to Dacre’s concerns by stressing that the NHS was employing more doctors than in 2010. | The Department of Health responded to Dacre’s concerns by stressing that the NHS was employing more doctors than in 2010. |
| “There is clear, independent clinical evidence of variation in the quality of care across the week and working together with the NHS we are determined to tackle this problem,” a spokeswoman said. | “There is clear, independent clinical evidence of variation in the quality of care across the week and working together with the NHS we are determined to tackle this problem,” a spokeswoman said. |
| “That’s why we’ve committed to an extra £10bn a year to fund the NHS’s own plan for the future and want to make sure the right staff and support is available to create a safer NHS seven days a week. | “That’s why we’ve committed to an extra £10bn a year to fund the NHS’s own plan for the future and want to make sure the right staff and support is available to create a safer NHS seven days a week. |
| “There are already more than 10,700 additional doctors and consultants since May 2010 and 50,000 doctors in training.” | “There are already more than 10,700 additional doctors and consultants since May 2010 and 50,000 doctors in training.” |