Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

NHSLatest NewsHR TechnologyRetirement

Digital platform to manage availability of retired doctors

by Rob Moss 15 Jun 2023
by Rob Moss 15 Jun 2023 Shutterstock
Shutterstock

Retired doctors in England will be able to re-join the NHS to carry out outpatient appointments using a new digital platform to help reduce waiting lists.

From the autumn, newly-retired doctors will be able to use the digital platform where they will be able to offer their availability to NHS trusts across England to perform outpatient appointments, either virtually or in person.

NHS hospitals will choose the consultant whose skillset and availability best match the appointments they need covered, which are scheduled and arranged with patients in the normal way.

More than four-fifths of people on the waiting list require outpatient appointments, rather than surgical procedures. Consultants carrying out remote appointments could be based anywhere in England, helping hospitals in areas with the highest demand.

Speaking at the NHS ConfedExpo in Manchester yesterday, NHS England’s chief executive Amanda Pritchard, said: “Ahead of the NHS 75th birthday in July, this new platform is an innovative example of how we are constantly adapting the way we work to benefit patients by helping to reduce waiting times as well as supporting staff.

“Using this digital tool will help us to match patients with retired doctors who we know are keen to stay working in a flexible way so they can keep caring for patients, as well as allowing us to expand capacity to see even more patients – and faster.

NHS digital platform

UK companies invest in digital HR, but workers struggle

Digital evolution: Why digital transformation is a thing of the past

Europe could create millions of jobs with digital and sustainability push

“NHS staff have already made excellent progress against our Elective Recovery Plan – and this platform will not only help us continue to reduce the longest waits but it will also help us slash agency spend, using the existing capacity of experienced doctors who still have so much to offer the NHS”.

Workforce data shows about 1,000 consultants leave the NHS for retirement each year.

Health and social care secretary Steve Barclay said: “Technology is transforming the NHS, and this digital platform will ensure that more patients receive the highest quality care from experienced consultants when and where they need it.

“We have already made significant progress in busting the backlogs by virtually eliminating the longest waits for treatment, while 18-month waits have fallen by more than 91% from their September 2021 peak”.

The platform aims to provide trusts with an alternative to using expensive agency staff, while allowing experienced specialists who want to keep working in the NHS a bit longer with a route back in with more flexibility.

The new tool will help to deliver the NHS Elective Recovery Plan, the most ambitious catch-up programme in health service history, helping to cut the longest waits ahead of the next target of virtually eliminating waits of more than 65 weeks by March 2024.

The new digital platform for retired doctors has been announced during junior doctors’ third strike since March and at a time when consultant members of the British Medical Association are voting on industrial action. If they vote in favour, the BMA has said there will be a consultants strike on 20-21 July and the mandate for industrial action will continue until Christmas.

Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers, said: “The NHS has already been working hard to clear the backlogs but concerted action is needed to help it go even further. With demand so high and with 432,000 outpatient appointments having had to be cancelled or rescheduled because of the walkouts over the last six months, health leaders will welcome reinforcements in the form of retired medics re-joining the service to lend their support.

“This is on top of flexibilities that the NHS offers already around retirement and working arrangements so that vital talent can be retained. While this new initiative is needed and will help, 8% of medical posts in secondary care are currently vacant, and so wider efforts beyond this welcome initiative will be needed to address the staffing vacancies we have in the NHS.

“These wider efforts need to be set out clearly in a comprehensive workforce plan, which we are told is imminent.”

The first target of virtually eliminating two-year waits was met last summer and despite Covid and flu, which contributed to the busiest winter the NHS has seen, coupled with disruptive industrial action, 18-month waits have been cut by 90%.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

All appropriate checks will be carried out before consultants become fully registered on the platform, and the programme will be open to recently-retired consultants with NHS experience, who have an active registration on the specialist register with the General Medical Council, and who also hold a Certificate of Completion of Training.


HR opportunities in Healthcare on Personnel Today


Browse more HR opportunities in healthcare

Rob Moss

Rob Moss is a business journalist with more than 25 years' experience. He has been editor of Personnel Today since 2010. He joined the publication in 2006 as online editor of the award-winning website. Rob specialises in labour market economics, gender diversity and family-friendly working. He has hosted hundreds of webinar and podcasts. Before writing about HR and employment he ran news and feature desks on publications serving the global optical and eyewear market, the UK electrical industry, and energy markets in Asia and the Middle East.

previous post
Union needs more understanding of Vodafone Three merger people impact
next post
Coca-Cola staff accept 18% pay settlement

You may also like

RCN warns Darlington NHS trust over single-sex spaces

16 May 2025

NHS Scotland staff accept two-year 8.2% pay deal

16 May 2025

Healthcare workers prioritise mental health support in new...

12 May 2025

Nurses threaten strikes if pay demands not met

12 May 2025

Jobs on the line across NHS trusts in...

9 May 2025

NHS worker awarded £29k after Darth Vader comparison

8 May 2025

Resident doctors to ballot for strike action

2 May 2025

NHS Lothian review finds ‘toxic’ work environment

2 May 2025

Public sector staff could be in line for...

28 Apr 2025

Call for better mental health support for NHS...

17 Apr 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+