RCP president, Professor Andrew Goddard responds to the next part of the action plan.
The RCP has responded to the publication of the new NHS People Plan.
Professor Andrew Goddard, president of the Royal College of Physicians, said: “Over the last 4 months NHS staff have been through a lot and we owe it to them to ensure that their wellbeing is a priority in the year ahead. We know the culture has got to change but we also need to do the small things that make a real difference; such as 24/7 access to hot food, a guarantee that rotas will be published on time, and areas for rest, study and reflection.
"However, we also need to ensure that the people plan delivers more staff. We have got to train more nurses and doctors to ensure that in the years ahead we reduce rota gaps and ensure that we can meet the needs of patients. But we can’t just do more of the same we also need to embrace the new roles, including physician associates. We can start by introducing statutory regulation and creating posts for them across the NHS.”
