RCP Cymru Wales has welcomed an oral statement from the minister for health and social care, Mabon ap Gwynfor MS, on a new long-term NHS Wales workforce strategy. RCP Cymru Wales is calling for physicians to have a strong voice in shaping the strategy and for it to address workforce pressures across the whole health and care system, including the capacity and staffing challenges facing secondary care.
Professor Sam Rice, joint vice president for RCP Cymru Wales, said: 'We welcome the health minister's commitment to develop a new long-term workforce plan for NHS Wales and the opportunity for further engagement before it is published early next year. It is vital that the plan is clinically led, based on patient need and shaped by the expertise of those delivering care.
‘Physicians across Wales tell us that workforce pressures are affecting their ability to provide safe, timely care. Demand on hospitals continues to grow as more people live longer with complex medical needs, yet there are not enough staff in the right places across the system to meet that demand. This is contributing to burnout among healthcare professionals and to unacceptable pressure on services, including corridor care.’
'As more people live longer with multiple and increasingly complex medical conditions, Wales needs a workforce plan that looks across the whole health and care system. While strengthening primary and community care is essential, this must not come at the expense of secondary care. Hospitals will continue to care for patients with the most acute and complex needs, and we must ensure they have the workforce and capacity to do so safely.
'Community by Design represents a significant opportunity to transform how care is delivered in Wales, but these ambitions must be underpinned by robust workforce planning from the outset. If more care is to be delivered closer to home, we must ensure there is a clear plan for the workforce needed to support these new models of care while maintaining safe staffing and capacity in hospitals.
'RCP Cymru Wales stands ready to work collaboratively with the Welsh government and other partners to help shape this work, ensuring patients receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time.'