Commenting on the Interim NHS People Plan, Professor Jo Martin said:
“We welcome the recognition of the pressures people are under and the commitment to do something to help. In particular the focus on making the NHS a great place to work, and the commitment to education and training is welcome.
Adapting to balancing life and work by creating flexibility in undergraduate and postgraduate medical training and careers are proposals we support. We also welcome the proposals to review the pensions scheme, to reduce the current disincentives to full time working, but are pressing for urgency in this.
Nursing is not the only profession that urgently needs attention. Pathologists are crucial to diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of patients and there are acute shortages that need to be addressed. Only 3% of NHS histopathology departments have enough staff to meet clinical demand, transfusion is in serious workforce shortage and across all disciplines pathology staff are working under increased pressures to meet rising demand.
We will work with NHS England, NHS Improvement and Health Education England, and will continue to press for the much needed support for the pathology workforce that our patients need and deserve."
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