Doctors are a fundamental part of acute healthcare. Their number, deployment and training all crucially affect the quality and quantity of care a hospital delivers. There are currently some 64,000 whole-time equivalent doctors working in hospitals in England and Wales at an annual cost of about £4 billion. A typical NHS acute trust employs some 280 doctors, accounting for about 13 per cent of its budget.
The Audit Commission has selected indicators mainly from its previous work on hospital medical staffing to monitor change and provide an up-to-date picture of the current position. This work is part of the Acute Hospital Portfolio.
This review presents the national findings based on data collected in July 2001 from 88 per cent of acute trusts. Auditors have already produced individually tailored performance reports for each trust and are taking up any issues highlighted. This may lead to further detailed investigations and action plans for improvement by trusts. As with all topics in the Acute Hospital Portfolio, medical staffing will be reviewed again nationally within four years.
Included in this report:
- the current medical workforce
- consultants
- doctors in training
- non-consultant career grade doctors
- locum doctors