Follow us: @csjmagazine
Sponsored by
News
More female than male doctors for the first time in the UK
Female doctors are greater in number than their male counterparts for the first time ever in the UK, the General Medical Council (GMC) has announced. Data collected by the GMC shows there are now* 164,440 women (50.04%) registered with a licence to practise, compared with 164,195 men (49.96%). Each year, since 2015, there has been an increase in the proportion of women with a licence to practise. That trend means women have now reached parity with, and overtaken, men in the medical profession. One of the driving factors has been more women joining UK medical schools. Since 2018/19, there have been more female than male medical students in all four UK countries. In 2023/24 the UK medical student intake was 60% female and in Northern Ireland even higher at 72%. The 2024 data show variations across the four countries of the UK. There are more women than men working as doctors in Scotland (54.8% female, 45.2% male) and Northern Ireland (53.5% female, 46.5% male). Though the UK currently shows parity overall, England (49.7% female, 50.3% male) and Wales (47.3% female, 52.7% male) are also expected to do so in the near future. The news follows publication of the GMC’s The
state of medical education and practice: Workforce report in November 2024, which highlighted a continuing shift towards parity and the expectation that women would, in the next few years, form the majority of the workforce. It also showed, for the first time, there are more doctors from ethnic minority backgrounds than white doctors working in the UK. The milestone has prompted fresh calls from
the GMC, British Medical Association (BMA) and Medical Women’s Federation (MWF) for healthcare leaders and workforce planners to consider the changing demographics of the medical population,
as UK health services continue to face extreme pressures and staffing challenges. Professor Dame Carrie MacEwen, Chair of the
GMC and a consultant ophthalmologist, said: “This is a significant milestone. The demographics of the medical workforce are rapidly changing, and that diversity will benefit patients. It is vital that every doctor is valued, irrespective of their gender, ethnicity, or any other characteristic. “But women training for careers in medicine
continue to face challenges that must be acknowledged and tackled. For those women already working as doctors, there is still work to do to create supportive and inclusive workplaces, and to ensure they have access to progression opportunities, including leadership roles, so that they can have long and fulfilling careers in medicine.”
Dr. Latifa Patel, Chair of the BMA Representative
Body, said: “To have more female than male doctors in the UK is a significant milestone for the profession and for patients. Retaining women doctors in the workplace, in the NHS and happy and fulfilled in their roles, must be a priority. They must be able to care for their patients without being
subjected to sexual harassment and sexism and we need the Government and the NHS to bring in specific measures to retain women doctors – such as work and career plans that better recognise maternity leave, the need to balance work with child caring responsibilities with better onsite nursery provision, and recognising the importance of flexible working. “When you look more closely at the figures, we see huge variations in the type of medical specialties women doctors go into – the majority choosing to be a GP or paediatrician – but very few are choosing surgery. These disparities are not acceptable for career progression, or for patient care, as all patients should be able to benefit from the skills and expertise of a female doctor, as well as a male one. We are keen to see the Government and employers’ plans to help retain and attract more women into medicine.” Professor Scarlett McNally, President of the
Medical Women’s Federation and a surgeon, said: “This huge change should be celebrated. The public should respect the doctor and ask her about their treatment options. Increasingly, patients have complexity or multiple long-term conditions. Doctors have knowledge, skills and experience, to balance risks. “To deliver decades of excellent service as
GPs, consultants and SAS doctors, doctors must get through postgraduate training. This has too few training posts, rigid rotations and excessive administrative workload – which all need improving, especially as it often coincides with pregnancy and early-years parenting. NHS clinical leadership roles should be advertised with realistic time and role- share options, to get the best leaders and good teamworking. We must all value women doctors as an excellent untapped talent and stop waiting for a mythical knight in shining armour.”
NHS patients receive first home-grown blood plasma treatments
The first NHS patients in a generation have started to receive life-saving plasma from the blood of UK donors, through a partnership between NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) and NHS England. Since a longstanding ban on UK plasma was
lifted in 2021, the UK has been building its own supply of plasma medicines amid a global shortage. This will reduce reliance on imports, saving the NHS between £5 million and £10 million per year and strengthening the UK as a powerhouse for life sciences under the government’s Plan for Change. Around 17,000 NHS patients with immune
deficiencies and rare diseases rely on vital human- donated plasma to save or improve their lives. It is also used in emergency medicine for childbirth and trauma care. Health Minister, Baroness Gillian Merron, said:
“This is a significant milestone for the NHS, as we take a step towards UK self-sufficiency in these vital medicines. As part of our Plan for Change, we are improving access to life-saving treatments for thousands of NHS patients and strengthening healthcare security. By sourcing our own medicine, we are building a more resilient and domestic
medical supply chain and boosting economic growth.” NHSBT has collected 250,000 litres of plasma
from donors in England since 2021. From this, two vital medicines are being produced: immunoglobulins, which treat autoimmune conditions, and albumin, which is essential for surgery and treating liver conditions. The NHS plans to reach 25% self-sufficiency in immunoglobulin by the end of 2025, rising to 30 to 35% in 2031, and 80% self-sufficiency in albumin by next year.
April 2025 I
www.clinicalservicesjournal.com 9
Friends Stock -
stock.adobe.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100
