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Press release: NHS Employers outlines vision for doctors of the future

10 Oct 2007

NHS Employers today outlines its vision on the training, responsibilities, working environment, career development and job prospects of doctors of the future.

The development of the medical workforce has long been the subject of scrutiny and debate.  With major changes taking place in the delivery of services in the NHS, the way that care is given by doctors is going to change in the future and we will need a capable and flexible medical workforce to ensure that we can continue to meet the needs of patients.

NHS Employers' The future of the medical workforce position paper outlines the vision of employers on the way doctors will be working in the NHS over the next 10 to 20 years and the changes that will need to take place to make this happen.

Steve Barnett, Director of NHS Employers said:

"This paper represents the results of 9 months of work with employers and others with a vested interest in the medical workforce.   Over the next 10 to 20 years, as the way we deliver NHS services evolves, we will need a medical workforce capable of adapting to these change and our vision describes how we think we can make this happen. 

"In the future we will need to align medical training and services to the needs and expectations of patients whilst at the same time managing expectations of future generations of doctors as to the type of career they can expect in the NHS.  This paper raises these and some of the other provocative issues that will need to be addressed."

Simon Pleydell, Chief Executive, South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust said:

"In the last few years there have been a number of significant policy changes which have had a major impact on the way doctors train and work.  More changes are on the horizon which will bring new ways of working for our medical staff in the future.  As the providers of services to patients, it is crucial that employers play a key role in determining what form the medical workforce of the future should take.  This paper explores some of the key issues, bringing together the needs of patients and medical professionals."

The position paper includes the following points:

* doctors of the future will need a more modular approach to training which enables them to step in and out of training, research, academia and service roles, take career breaks or spend more time on the management of clinical services.  Training programmes should include core medical, mental health, research and surgical modules before doctors move into more specialist areas. 
* more innovative teaching will be needed to ensure that doctors are able to develop the level of competence and capability required to work independently within the shorter timescale required by the Working Time Directive
* a small oversupply of doctors will be needed to provide flexibility and improve quality by giving some choice in selection.  This will mean that doctors will need to be prepared to compete for jobs.
* the focus on community-based care will require the expansion of generalist skills and the development of some super-specialist teams.  We will also need a new more acute physicians and trained anasethetists the emerging field of transport medicine as patients are transferred more routinely to specialist centres.
* we will need more 24-hour cover from specialist doctors, in specialties such as neurology, cardiology, vascular surgery, paediatrics and obstetrics which is likely to change the concept of on-call from home to a system of resident working
* we need to urgently reassess whether graduate numbers coming through medical school reflect the level of trained specialists that will be needed in ten years time and if this matches the capacity to train them.  If not we need to address this.
* more local flexibility may be required in pay, pensions and contracts to enable collaboration between trusts and providers in other sectors
* we may see doctors who have successfully completed their training in new and different roles which could provide an fulfilling career pathway other than becoming a consultant.

The future of the medical workforce is based on a discussion paper published in January which asked employers a range of question on how policy and social drivers may affect the medical workforce.  A seminar explored these issues further.  This position paper is based on the results of the consultation and the seminar discussion.

Notes for editors

* The future of the medical workforce is available at https://www.nhsemployers.org/restricted/downloads/download.asp?ref=2971&hash=db665621dd50a28b0758f8941b3de841&itemplate=e_aboutus_3col_aboutus-2028
* The consultation document was issued in January 2007 and is available here https://www.nhsemployers.org/restricted/downloads/download.asp?ref=1960&hash=328632b8be32232b816b67feb05210f0&itemplate=e_aboutus_3col_aboutus-2028
* A seminar was held on 12 September with representatives from the NHS, the medical royal colleges, the BMA, a number of statutory bodies and the Department of Health

Contact details

The press office provides a comprehensive service to keep journalists informed about the work of NHS Employers.

If you have a media enquiry, please contact the press office team:

• Gemma Jeffcoate
  0207 074 3308 or gemma.jeffcoate@nhsemployers.org
• Emma Stafford
  0207 074 3307 or emma.stafford@nhsemployers.org

For out of hours media enquiries, please contact the duty press officer on 07880 500726.

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