Developments in workforce planning

RCPCH response to balance of competences between the UK and the European Union

The RCPCH has submitted a response to the call for Evidence on the Government's review of the balance of competences between the UK and the European Union, 27 February 2013.

The response can be accessed at: RCPCH response to Review of Balance Competences

 Patients have a right to the same standard of care seven days a week

The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges launched its report outlining three patient-centred standards to delivering high quality care to patients seven days a week in December 2012.

The full report can be accessed at: http://www.aomrc.org.uk/publications/reports-a-guidance.html

The RCPCH press release can be found in our News section,  RCPCH welcomes Academy consultant delivered care report.

Consultant Delivered Service

Sen et al (2012) have published an article in the Emergency Medicine Journal titled The Impact of consultant delivered service in emergency medicine: the Wrexham Model which concludes that consultant delivered services have many advantages compared to services provided by middle grade or junior doctors. This was published online first in April 2011.

Patients benefit from continued consultant cover

A report by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) in April 2012 finds that patients have better outcomes and are less likely to be readmitted in units where acute physicians are on call for more than one day at a time, have no other routine duties during that time, do two or more ward rounds per day and are present in the acute medical unit for more than four hours for seven days.

The full report can be accessed via Acute Medicine Evaluation

RCP Parliamentary Briefing Health and Social Care Bill

The Royal College of Physician's February 2012 briefing outlines the RCP's concerns about the Health and Social Care Bill, which became an Act on 27 March 2012, in the areas of education and training, competition, commissioning, integration and quality.

RCP Parliamentary Briefing

The future consultant workforce

A report by the CfWI (Centre for Workforce Intelligence) has stated that the total consultant workforce is set to increase by 60% by 2020 if doctors continue to be trained and recruited at current rates. The report describes a number of future scenarios and CfWI are encouraging contributions to this debate. You can read the report at: http://www.cfwi.org.uk/resources/leaders-report-shape-of-the-medical-workforce.

Liberating the NHS:Developing the Healthcare Workforce

On the 10 January 2012, DH set out a new education and training system, with two central planks – Health Education England (HEE) and the Local Education and Training Boards (LETBs). This document also sets out its changes to the workforce information landscape to support new organisations in undertaking workforce planning and education and training commission. http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/01/workforce-response

The Benefits of Consultant Delivered Care

The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges published The Benefits of Consultant Delivered Care in January 2012. The report identified the following key benefits of consultant delivered care:

• rapid and appropriate decision making
• improved outcomes
• more efficient use of resources
• GP's access to the opinion of a fully trained doctor
• patient expectation of access to appropriate and skilled clinicians and information
• benefits for the training of junior doctors

Visit our consultant delivered care page to read more about the College’s work in this area.

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