Some workforces including GPs and intensivists may face pressure from high demand from service users. These roles involves high-intensity working practices and burnout is an issue for the current workforce. There are also inflexible working arrangements for both hospital doctors and some GP roles and, together with the intensity of work, this is making working in these areas less attractive to potential trainees and recruits.

Trainees may be opting out of particular specialties such as the single intensive care medicine certificate of completion of training (CCT), and instead choosing the dual CCTs which provides more flexibility for a better work/life balance. Similarly, fewer GPs may be taking up partnership positions and choose to work as salaried GPs.

Contributing trends and developments

Expectations for a good work-life balance in medical and other careers continues. The European Working Time Directive has the potential to represent a generational shift in attitude towards medicine as a career.

Potential future situation

Flexible and part-time training and working becomes more available to medical trainees and employees. There is a greater focus on family-friendly work places that enable mothers to balance work and childcare responsibilities.

Greater choice for more flexible or less intensive work is available later in a doctor’s career when they may tire more easily, and prefer not to be working on call and at night. Late-career options are developed to provide doctors with less service-delivery time and other valuable options such as leadership or representative roles.

Proposed workforce impact

The numbers of hospital doctors and GPs choosing particular career paths may decrease for example GP partners may be significantly reduced. A generational change in expectations of work-life balance could lead to a reduction in the goodwill currently provided by senior members of staff to train junior doctors.

Increases in flexibility could lead to a reduction in the participation rate for particular specialties. A key questions is how can workforce planners and employers maintain capacity but also offer flexible working conditions and a good work-life balance?

Sources or references

http://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/less-than-a-quarter-of-recently-qualified-gps-become-partners-in-five-years/12202627.article#.UMH8KXJuJUw

www.acas.org.uk/media/pdf/a/o/B20_1.pdf

http://careers.bmj.com/careers/advice/view-article.html?id=20008522

Some of the information in this section is provided by stakeholders and expert groups, and does not necessarily represent the views of the CfWI.