The Royal College of Physicians (RCP), alongside other leading health bodies, has written to the new chair of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) calling for the committee to re-open its inquiry into NHS England’s modelling for the Long Term Workforce Plan (LTWP).
Commenting on the letter, Dr Mumtaz Patel, acting as president of the RCP, said:
'The NHS faces significant workforce challenges. We welcomed the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan as a significant step towards a sustainably staffed health service in future.
'Modelling the health workforce is no easy task but the LTWP is an important opportunity to address NHS understaffing. Having both a dedicated, long-term workforce plan and independent National Audit Office analysis of its workforce modelling means the detail can be scrutinised and changes made.
'We urge the Public Accounts Committee to re-open its inquiry into the modelling in the LTWP – it will provide important scrutiny to improve the LTWP ahead of its planned 2025 revision. The NAO made a number of important recommendations to improve the assumptions and methodologies used in the plan and we hope NHS England will accept these in full. We especially hope NHSE will take on board the recommendation for assumptions to be ‘generated in transparent and systematic consultation with external stakeholders’. Effective engagement with clinicians and royal colleges is essential.
'The RCP is urging NHSE to prioritise the publication of projections on the number of postgraduate medical specialty training places required to meet future patient demand. The 2025 revision of the LTWP must provide updates on progress made since 2023 to offer more detailed workforce modelling for the medical specialties.
'The 2025 revision is also a vital opportunity to review the LTWP projections for growth in the physician associate (PA) role. The RCP is calling for a limit in the pace and scale of the PA roll-out that was set out in the plan in 2023.
'We’re keen to work with NHSE and other key organisations to ensure that we have a dedicated, long-term workforce strategy that is robust, effective and sustainable.'