Resident doctors call for more detail on NHS workforce planning ahead of spending review

They said:

‘Following the announcement that NHS England is to be abolished, and ahead of the chancellor’s spending review next week, we are urging the government to outline its plans for key commitments on NHS staffing.

‘The RCP has written to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and the new Transition CEO of NHS England to ask for assurances that plans expected this year, including the review of postgraduate medical training, the long term workforce plan revision, the Leng review and the 10 year plan, will be delivered as planned.

‘We strongly welcomed the recently announced review of postgraduate medical training. This is something which the RCP has been calling for since last summer.

‘This review is an important opportunity to make training fit for purpose so that we can grow our medical workforce, reform selection processes for postgraduate training and ensure that our doctors can enter formal training programmes, progress in their careers and stay working in our NHS.

‘As part of the government’s plans for the transition from NHS England to the Department of Health and Social Care, it must set out detail on how it will deliver the review of training, the promised expansion in the number of medical school places and postgraduate training posts, and a regularly refreshed long-term strategy to recruit and retain the NHS workforce that we need to meet patient demand.

‘The abolition of NHS England will undoubtedly be a big change, and we are therefore calling for an urgent update on how the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, as well as the review of postgraduate medical training, will now proceed.’