RCP president Professor Dame Jane Dacre publishes an open letter discussing the rumoured NHS funding settlement.
If the rumours are true and the long-awaited new funding settlement for the NHS is to be announced on Monday, then hopefully it will be a moment of celebration for those of us who have long argued for the NHS to be given the resources it needs.
As we and others have said consistently in recent years, the settlement must make possible a significant workforce expansion. This week's announcement relaxing immigration rules for doctors and nurses is welcome, but it is a short-term fix.
[hopefully] it will be a moment of celebration for those of us who have long argued for the NHS to be given the resources it needs.
The focus must now turn to ensuring we have a small surplus of doctors in the UK. That should be done by increasing the number of medical school places, as our registrar and president-elect, Dr Andrew Goddard, will explain at our upcoming conference.
We won’t be able to do that unless the funding settlement lives up to expectations. It must include dedicated funding for the expansion of clinical training to meet the needs of patients.
Professor Dame Jane Dacre, RCP President
Professor Dame Jane Dacre is currently the president of the RCP, an honorary consultant physician and rheumatologist at the Whittington Hospital, and director of UCL Medical School in London. You can follow her on twitter at @DacreJane.