Medical leaders warn of 'extreme shortage' of community child health doctors
Nina Jacobs
Tuesday, July 31, 2018
Vulnerable children in need of support from community paediatric services are at risk of "falling through the gaps" unless a recruitment crisis is addressed, medical leaders have warned.
A workforce survey carried out by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) found that just 9.6 per cent of newly trained paediatricians take up a post in community child health - roles that involve assessing children for abuse or neglect, as well as treating conditions like ADHD, obesity, and mental health problems.
This compares with 65 per cent becoming general paediatricians and 27.7 per cent becoming specialist paediatricians.
A report, based on the survey of nearly 190 doctors one year after they had completed their specialist training, revealed that in a single mental health trust in England referrals increased from an expected 6,545 to 11,500.
This resulted in more than 2,000 young people waiting for assessment and treatment and pushed waiting times for routine appointments up to 19 months.
Further findings from the report highlighted a sharp spike in the number of children who were the subject of a child protection plan with year-on-year rises of 126.7 per cent in applications.
Dr Simon Clark, workforce officer at RCPCH, said all specialties needed extra resourcing but as patient numbers increase together with the number of conditions they present with, services are likely to become even more stretched.
"What's striking about these latest workforce findings is the disparity between newly qualified consultants taking up positions in community paediatrics - a specialty that holds so much responsibility in managing growing 21st century problems - and general paediatric posts," he said.
He warned there was a risk the gap would widen further once consultant community paediatricians, whose average age is currently between 45 and 54, take retirement.
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The RCPCH is calling for more resources to be provided for community child health to reduce the pressure on services and support the most vulnerable children and families.
It estimates around 80 more community paediatricians are needed each year for the next five years to sustain and improve services.
"Given that the age profile in community paediatrics is higher than average, the prospects for increasing this section of the workforce is challenging," the report said.
The study revealed the extent of the demand in community paediatrics after an audit showed 50 community consultant posts were advertised in the first three months of 2018 alone.
Current proposals to increase recruitment for the specialty include giving trainees early exposure to community child health, the use of contract flexibility, opportunities to increase their skill mix and support to develop and extend into other professional roles.
Dr Clark said the survey also showed that more newly qualified consultants are securing jobs in their chosen specialty and location.
"While this is great for doctors, this makes it harder to recruit in areas where filling consultant and trainee posts is already challenging such as remote and rural areas," he added.
