01 May 2018
SaTH has appointed a new substantive A&E consultant for the first time in four years.
It is the fifth consultant recruitment in 10 days, with two also being appointed in Ear, Nose and Throat and a further two in Bariatric.
Simon Wright, Chief Executive of SaTH, says the appointments are a clear indication that the certainty over funding for Future Fit is already having an impact on recruitment to the Trust.
The Trust has been unable to appoint substantive consultants, or Middle Grade doctors, to its A&E Departments at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH) and the Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) in Telford, despite repeated job adverts. In the last six months, two consultants have left the Trust, but none have been recruited. Whilst there is a national shortage of A&E consultants, feedback from potential candidates for the post within the Trust had suggested that a two-site model and the on-call rota was not an attractive offer.
Currently there are only three substantive consultants in post, with only two available to work cross-site. Four locum consultants are also in post. It means that the on-call rota is particularly demanding for the substantive workforce, some of whom have to consistently provide cover twice a week.
Mr Wright says two recent job adverts have prompted a number of applicants for the substantive A&E consultant posts, who will be interviewed over the next few weeks – with one appointed yesterday. (30 April)
Mr Wright said: “Since the decision was made to secure the capital funding for Future Fit and the reconfiguration of our hospital services, we are seeing people really making a decision to come into Shropshire and make this their workplace and their home.
“We have had a number of people apply to be a substantive A&E consultant. It is a significant shift as previously we had no responses to our adverts. This is very positive news as it will help to strengthen our A&Es.”
The Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) recommends that all A&E departments should have an establishment of at least 10 Emergency Medicine Consultants to provide up to 16 hours a day of consultant cover.