NHS needs to work with supply chain to alleviate A&E shortfalls
15 May 2013
NHS Accident & Emergency departments need to work more closely with their specialist supply chains to better manage the severe staff shortage, identified in a new report.
Wed, 15 May 2013NHS Accident & Emergency departments need to work more closely with their specialist supply chains to better manage the severe staff shortage, identified in a new report.
The College of Emergency Medicine says the average emergency ward has seven full-time consultants, but recommends that there should be a minimum of 10, and up to 16 on large wards. It calls the current challenge faced by emergency care systems the “biggest in well over a decade”.
John Zafar, chief executive officer of medical recruitment group Asclepius, tells Recruiter that his company has seen a steady increase in demand for A&E nurse and doctors in recent years. “The gap between supply and demand is not going to go away any time soon,” he says.
The introduction of the European Working Time Directive, doctors opting out of working nights and weekends, visa restrictions on doctors from outside the EU, as well as increasing admission rates, have all exacerbated the problem, Zafar says.
Zafar (pictured left) says the solution is for the NHS is to work as closely as possible with its specialist supply chains. “It is all about pre-planning as much as possible. We are often providing temp doctors to trusts several weeks in advance of their requirements because we are able to work closely with the trusts in their workforce planning,” he says.
Simon Hudson, the director of healthcare at recruitment firm Hays, says that A&E is one of the five major areas of skills shortage for doctors at the moment.
Hudson goes on to say that there is “an acute shortage” of nursing skills generally, but that in particular, “the main areas that are in demand at the moment” are A&E, critical care, high dependency units [HDU] and theatre.
Ian McDougall, managing director of healthcare recruiter Castlerock Recruitment Group, tells Recruiter that within the company’s doctor division, CRG Doctors, “there’s a heavy demand for A&E, in particular at mid level and consultant level”.
The College of Emergency Medicine says the average emergency ward has seven full-time consultants, but recommends that there should be a minimum of 10, and up to 16 on large wards. It calls the current challenge faced by emergency care systems the “biggest in well over a decade”.
John Zafar, chief executive officer of medical recruitment group Asclepius, tells Recruiter that his company has seen a steady increase in demand for A&E nurse and doctors in recent years. “The gap between supply and demand is not going to go away any time soon,” he says.
The introduction of the European Working Time Directive, doctors opting out of working nights and weekends, visa restrictions on doctors from outside the EU, as well as increasing admission rates, have all exacerbated the problem, Zafar says.
Zafar (pictured left) says the solution is for the NHS is to work as closely as possible with its specialist supply chains. “It is all about pre-planning as much as possible. We are often providing temp doctors to trusts several weeks in advance of their requirements because we are able to work closely with the trusts in their workforce planning,” he says.
Simon Hudson, the director of healthcare at recruitment firm Hays, says that A&E is one of the five major areas of skills shortage for doctors at the moment.
Hudson goes on to say that there is “an acute shortage” of nursing skills generally, but that in particular, “the main areas that are in demand at the moment” are A&E, critical care, high dependency units [HDU] and theatre.
Ian McDougall, managing director of healthcare recruiter Castlerock Recruitment Group, tells Recruiter that within the company’s doctor division, CRG Doctors, “there’s a heavy demand for A&E, in particular at mid level and consultant level”.
- Both Hudson and McDougall share their views on the healthcare recruitment market, including what the Francis Report means for recruiters in this area, in the Sector Analysis on p16 of the May edition of Recruiter, out this week.
