Labour-run Wales set to experience an exodus of Doctors
The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) have released a briefing paper detailing the retention issue at the heart of the Labour-run Welsh health service.
Nearly half (47%) of Wales’ consultant physicians plan to retire in the next decade and over half (52%) would like to reduce their working hours citing increased workload due to rota gaps that the vast majority (74%) believe are having a negative impact on patient care.
Commenting, Welsh Conservative Shadow Health Minister, Russell George MS said:
“In Labour-run Wales, we already know that we have thousands of nurse vacancies, patient to GP ratios are rising and we have a serious lack of dentists. Now the Royal College of Physicians are telling us that we are set to lose half of our current consultants in the next decade. This is completely unsustainable.
“Just this week we learnt that the army may have to be drafted in to support Wales’ largest hospital, with healthcare staff being diverted away from operations putting further strain on Wales’ excessive waiting lists that Labour have failed to get a grip of. Over 27,000 are waiting 2 or more years in Labour-run Wales compared with virtually zero in Conservative-run England.
“The Welsh Conservatives want to see a recruitment and retention plan in the same vein as Rishi Sunak’s, a tuition fee refund for healthcare workers that stay in Wales and a fully resourced Welsh NHS by reprioritising money away from Labour’s plans for more politicians and blanket 20mph.”
