New data from the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) and Joint Royal Colleges of Physicians Training Board (JRCPTB) shows that just 56% of newly qualified physicians are securing substantive consultant posts.
The figures represent a drop of 7% from the 2012 survey which showed 63% of newly qualified physicians secured substantive consultant posts. This decrease has likely been caused by hospital Trusts unwilling to financially commit to long term substantive consultant posts, according to the RCP.
Physicians typically spend five to six years in medical school followed by two years in foundation training, and seven-plus years in core and specialty training before being awarded their Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT), when they can progress to a substantive consultant post.
Since 2004, there has been an expansion in the number of trainee doctors to meet the increasing demand for a consultant delivered medical service. However, fiscal pressure appears to have slowed expansion in the number of consultant posts, leading to a greater number of newly qualified physicians unable to secure a substantive consultant post.
The success rate for being offered a post varies between medical specialties, with just 24% of applications to genito-urinary medicine resulting in a substantive post, compared to 81% for geriatric medicine.
The survey of the career progression of holders of a medical certificate of completion of training, 2009-13 also found that:
• The number of qualified physicians taking locum consultant posts has increased from 19% in 2012 to 22% in 2013.
• For the third consecutive year, a small number of newly qualified doctors were left unemployed.
• 46% of applications made by females resulted in the offer of a post, compared to 33% for male applications.
Commenting on the survey, Dr Andrew Goddard, director of the RCP’s Medical Workforce Unit, said: “The drop in the number of newly qualified physicians securing substantive consultant posts, combined with an increase in the number of newly qualified physicians taking locum posts points to financially restricted trusts unwilling to commit to long-term contracts.
“Hospitals are facing an increasing number of emergency admissions, we know that a consultant-delivered service is best for patients and we know that the service must be delivered across seven days a week. The need for consultants is clearly there, yet more than four in ten newly qualified physicians are not securing a consultant post.
“This survey provides yet more evidence that we need national workforce planning to use all available data to prevent over supply of trained doctors in some medical specialties and under-supply in others.”
