The RCP in Wales has responded to the National Assembly for Wales Health, Social Care and Sport Committee inquiry into the sustainability of the health and social care workforce in Wales.
Key recommendations
The RCP has identified several key priorities for the NHS workforce in Wales:
- Develop a national medical workforce and training strategy.
- Show national leadership on the balance between service and training.
- Focus on addressing recruitment and training challenges.
- Increase the number of medical school places offered to Welsh domiciled students.
- Improve the support available to junior doctors in rural areas.
- Encourage health boards to implement the RCP Future Hospital workforce model.
- Legislate on safe staffing levels.
- Ensure that future changes to medical training are reflective of the needs of patients.
- Develop and embed other clinical roles in the NHS workforce.
- Invest in research and innovation, locally and nationally.
- Invest in data collection about the health and social care workforce.
- Make staff health and wellbeing a national priority.