President of the Medical Council, Dr Suzanne Crowe, has called for a comprehensive medical workforce strategy, planning ahead for the next ten-to-twenty years.
Speaking to newly-graduated GPs at the ICGP’s virtual graduation ceremony for 2021, Dr Crowe stated that while such a strategy may take time to develop, it was vital such work is undertaken to improve the health service.
She highlighted that, for the first time, 5 per cent more women than men aged 25-to-35 years were on the medical register. “This is a great impetus for us to start the change that will make this a much better and happier profession to work in,” she believed.
Dr Crowe highlighted to the Medical Council’s work in identifying many challenges facing the medical profession, from being overworked, under resourced, issues of bullying, doctor wellbeing, a lack of training opportunities, and also a lack of family-friendly practices.
Greater supports for women in medicine, and for young families across the spectrum of medicine were needed, according to Dr Crowe.
“This will benefit men and women in our profession,” she added.
In the interests of enabling and enhancing the delivery of high quality and safe care to patients, Dr Crowe said a concerted and collaborative approach was required by all stakeholders in identifying effective solutions for tackling these issues.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.