A shortage of anaesthetists could force operations to be delayed and threaten patient safety, according to research from the Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA). The research suggests that 74% of hospitals currently rely on locum anaesthetists from medical employment agencies or are forced to pay locum rates to staff to fill rotas and that by the day there may be 10-20 fewer consultant anaesthetists at every hospital trust. President of the RCoA, Dr Liam Brennan, said, “If consultant anaesthetists are continually having to ‘act down’ and fill gaps in rotas, then they are less available during 2033, so there will inevitably be delays to people needing elective care, such as hip operations.” Brennan calls for more training places for anaesthetists in order to minimise the expected shortfall.
A shortage of anaesthetists could force operations to be delayed and threaten patient safety, according to research from the Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA). The research suggests that 74% of hospitals currently rely on locum anaesthetists from medical employment agencies or are forced to pay locum rates to staff to fill rotas and that by 2033 there may be 10-20 fewer consultant anaesthetists at every hospital trust. President of the RCoA, Dr Liam Brennan, said, “If consultant anaesthetists are continually having to ‘act down’ and fill gaps in rotas, then they are less available during the day, so there will inevitably be delays to people needing elective care, such as hip operations.” Brennan calls for more training places for anaesthetists in order to minimise the expected shortfall.