Over the past couple of months, the media hasn’t been shy in flagging up when the NHS appears to be failing. A&E has been one department that has been particularly focused upon, with reams of facts and figures stacking up to paint a poor picture of emergency care. Not only have A&E departments across England missed the four hour waiting time target for 52 consecutive weeks, but also approximately 300,000 ambulances were also reported to be left queuing outside packed emergency units for over half an hour, with the longest wait clocking up a staggering eight hour delay. With 14.2 million people attending A&E, never before has demand reached such a climatic rate so quickly, especially since winter pressures appear to be rolling over in to the summer and autumn months, seeing no seasonal drop before the pre-Christmas incline.
Another key area that has been under the spotlight is surgery, with many patients waiting well over the suggested 18 weeks for routine procedures. With a total of 200,000 still waiting for operations, 65,000 have been on the list for half a year, whilst amazingly, 500 patients have been waiting over a year for their operation to be pencilled in.
Is recruitment the answer?
The Public Accounts Committee have reported that one of the reasons why A&E departments are struggling is in part because of a lack of consultants, with one-fifth of posts remaining empty. Many hospitals are also finding it difficult to locate junior doctors who want to take up trainee roles within this specialty. Committee chairwoman Margaret Hodge told the BBC in March “What we found amazing is that neither the Department nor NHS England has a clear strategy to tackle the shortage of A&E consultants.”
This is where healthcare recruitment agencies, such as Total Assist Group, can play such a defining and vital role in maintaining the well being and continuing standards of NHS emergency care. We source doctors for both temporary and permanent roles, whether hospitals need an A&E specialist for one night only or to cover ad-hoc shifts for a month. With an entire team focused solely on developing and maintaining a pipeline of high calibre and experienced A&E medical professionals, we present clients with a choice of suitable and available candidates, ready to fill both junior and senior positions across all grades and specialties.
With recruitment desks covering all specialties, surgery is another area we assist NHS trusts with when they find themselves understaffed with not enough manpower to complete 90% of non-emergency operations that the government expects to see ticked off the list. At Total Assist Group, we fully appreciate the rough ride that the NHS is havingto cope with, trying to juggle increasing financial pressures and burdens with sourcing enough quality staff to provide crucially important care. Total Assist Group is here to support NHS trusts, hospitals and private clinics with their staffing requirements, using our expertise in the healthcare field to preempt requirements and ensure each facility has exactly what it needs to deliver top notch care in the run up to the peak winter season.
[testimonial name=”Toby Colley” who=”Head of Client Services” imagelinks=”https://totalassist.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Toby-1-e1406714551521.png” vertical=”no”]”As Head of Client Services, I am responsible for business development, strategic planning and I have overall responsibility for the supply and sustainability of our services to our clients. I have been in the industry for 15 years, so please get in touch for any advice or help with your staffing requirements.”[/testimonial]
