Shortage of medical staff, including paediatricians, causing concerns

The NHS, Europe’s largest employer, has a workforce of 1.1 million, but 100,000 jobs remain unfilled. The crisis is most acute in nursing, where there are around 40,000 vacancies. Paediatricians, oncologists and doctors are also needed, with nearly 9,000 vacancies currently unfilled.

Nadia Saber says…
“According to survey by Pulse, the GP magazine, the average wait to see a GP is 13 days. Last week it was announced by the NHS that they intend to recruit from overseas to make up for the shortfall in GPs. But it’s not only GPs that are in such short supply. Many crucial specialties, including paediatrics, emergency medicine and mental health, are struggling with severe staff shortages. This can have catastrophic consequences for patients, especially young children who may have to wait up to six months to see a paediatrician, and could result in life threatening conditions being missed by A&E. I believe more needs to be done by the government to try and accommodate for the shortage of doctors amongst a growing number of patients”.