The RCP is one of 100 health and care organisations backing an amendment for stronger workforce planning tabled by Baroness Cumberlege, Lord Stevens of Birmingham, Baroness Thornton and Baroness Walmsley. Ahead of this amendment being debated today, the RCP has issued a statement urging peers to speak in support of and vote for the amendment.
Ahead of the debate on workforce in the Health and Care Bill today, president of the Royal College of Physicians Dr Andrew Goddard said:
“Today’s debate on the workforce provisions in the Health and Care Bill is an opportunity to put the health and care workforce back on sustainable footing.
“Findings from EngageBritain earlier this week that 400 staff a week quit the NHS last year to restore their work-life-balance is concerning but unsurprising. Staff are under immense pressure, in large part because there are too few staff to meet growing patient demand.
“Government ‘missed an opportunity’ when it voted down Jeremy Hunt’s amendment to the health and care bill on workforce planning last November – but it is not too late. The amendment will be debated again today after being tabled by Baroness Cumberlege with support from Labour, the Liberal Democrats and former NHS chief executive Lord Simon Stevens. If passed, it will give a national, independent view of how many health and social care staff are needed to keep pace with projected demand over the next 5, 10 and 20 years.
“As we have said time and again, regular, independent public workforce projection data will not solve the workforce crisis. But understanding how many health and care staff are needed to meet demand now and in future will provide the strongest foundations to put the NHS workforce back on sustainable footing – reducing pressure on staff, and improving care for patients."