NEWS
Physician vacancies at highest level in almost a decade The latest physician census conducted by
the RCP, the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow has found that the proportion of unfilled medical consultant posts across the UK is at its highest level in almost a decade. Nearly half (48%) of advertised consultant posts across the UK were unfilled last year – up from 36% in 2013.
Most posts were not filled because there were no applicants. Of the 48% of posts that went unfilled in the UK, 49% were unfilled due to a lack of any applicants at all and 34% due to a lack of suitable candidates. There were higher rates of unsuccessful appointments in Wales (59%) and Northern Ireland (57%), than in England (46%). In England, the East Midlands region had the highest proportion of unsuccessful appointments (63%), followed by the West Midlands (61%). In London, only 38% of appointments were unsuccessful. Many higher specialty trainees were unable to complete their training during the pandemic, meaning there will potentially be fewer newly qualified consultants to apply for posts. COVID-19 has also affected the NHS financially and this too will have had an impact on appointing consultants. However, the three Royal Colleges of Physicians believe a lack of long-term workforce planning is the primary factor behind the 33% increase in unfilled consultant posts across the UK since 2013. Dr. Andrew Goddard, president of
Decrease in antibiotic-resistant infections
New data published by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows that antibiotic-resistant bloodstream infections fell in 2020 (from 65,583 in 2019, to 55,384) for the first time since 2016 but still remain at a higher level than six years ago. Importantly, the decline was largely driven by a reduction in recorded bloodstream infections overall, likely due to less social mixing, enhanced hand hygiene and changes to healthcare access and delivery.
the Royal College of Physicians, said: “We’re being hit by a perfect storm of high demand for services and not enough staff. This can’t go on. The fact that so many posts were unfilled because there were no applicants shows the supply of doctors falls woefully short of demand. We need a clear commitment from Government to publish regular workforce projections so that we know how many staff to train to meet future demand. “We know that medical school places need to be rapidly expanded, and our census results show precisely why – vacancies among consultant physicians are at their highest level in 7 years. It takes 10-14 years to train as a doctor. We need long-term projections on the workforce we will need in future so that our health service is fully equipped to deal with future patient demand.”
Analysis of the bacteria that most commonly cause bloodstream infections, including E. coli, revealed that although the overall number of bloodstream infections decreased in 2020, compared with 2016, the overall proportion of infections that were resistant to antibiotics increased over the same time frame.
According to the UKHSA, this was most likely driven by changes in behaviour, prescribing and healthcare delivery in 2020 – 1 in 5 people with a bloodstream infection in 2020 had an antibiotic-resistant infection. This latest data suggests that resistant infections are likely to rise in the post- pandemic years and will require ongoing action.
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