Most accident and emergency (A&E) departments are facing staffing shortages as doctors leave to take up more lucrative work as GPs, new research shows today.
The figures from a survey of 138 hospitals carried out in October by the British Medical Association (BMA), show that seven in 10 A&E departments have vacancies for staff-grade doctors.
Excluding trainees, around half of the doctors working in A&E in the UK are employed in staff-grade and associate specialist (SAS) positions, which are distinct from consultant posts.
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Mohib Khan, chair of the BMA’s Staff and Associate Specialist Committee, said that more than six in 10 (62 per cent) A&E departments have lost a staff-grade doctor to general practice in the past year.
Staffing problems will worsen unless SAS doctors get a new contract that addresses their low morale and reduces disparities with doctors in other types of jobs, he said.
