The rising proportion of women doctors will lead to a greater emphasis on flexible working and the use of locums in the medical workforce, according to health and social care recruiter HCL.

Commenting on a study by the Royal College of Physicians, which forecasts most UK doctors in both hospitals and general practice will be female after 2017, Kate Bleasdale, executive vice chairman of HCL, says: “The preference of women doctors for part-time and flexible hours is well known, and will leave gaps in hospital rotas that will need to be filled by staffing companies like HCL, as well as more doctors seeking to work as locums.

“We anticipate rising demand from our clients over the next few years as the proportion of doctors continues to shift toward women, and hospital managers have to be able to tap into a large bank of flexible and appropriately qualified doctors in order to ensure that rotas are sufficiently covered.  

“And as locum work itself is an ideal way of working flexibly, we also anticipate a rise in the number of candidates signing up with us as the number of female doctors increases.”

The study shows that women currently account for 40% of all doctors, including 42% of GPs and 28% of consultants, and this proportion is set to increase significantly over the next eight years.

Julian Cater, analyst at Collins Stewart, adds: “The implication is clear that the gender shift within the NHS is going to steadily drive demand for more temporary employees over the medium term.”