Responding to today’s publication of the Ten Year Plan for the NHS, Professor Mike Griffin OBE, President of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, stated:
“We naturally welcome the ambition of the plan, particularly its focus on prevention and early detection, and aspiration to reduce overall reliance on hospitals.
“That said, we must also acknowledge how difficult the plan will be to implement given widespread staff shortages and NHS deficits. In the short term, we urgently call on NHS policy makers to implement the recommendations contained in our Improving the Working Environment for Safe Surgical Care report, including the ring fencing of training budgets and time for training, together with implementation of a more supportive migration policy for overseas medical and nursing staff.
“In the medium term, there needs to be an open and honest conversation on the true level of resources health and social care needs to ensure it meets demand and how workforce planning can be improved to deliver the staff needed to deliver the best possible patient care.”