workforce
Position statement on the Associate Specialist grade
In April 2008 the ‘associate specialist’ (AS) grade was closed and succeeded by the new ‘specialty doctor’ grade. Over recent years there have been calls from the British Medical Association (BMA)1 and the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AoMRC)2 to reopen the AS grade. The Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCOphth) works directly with the Staff
NICE publishes serious eye disorders quality standard
The Royal College of Ophthalmologists supports the quality standard but believes the implementation will be challenging for the overwhelmed hospital eye service. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published its first quality standard looking at serious eye disorders, covering the diagnosis and management of cataracts, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
Minimising possible adverse effects of Brexit
With the current situation around Brexit remaining consistently unclear The Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCOphth) has recently signposted external guidance from the Department of Health and The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges. To update members on the current situation and latest messages from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) the RCOphth is able
New RCOphth Workforce Census illustrates the severe shortage of eye doctors in the UK
A new 2018 census by The Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCOphth) identifies gaps in recruitment of ophthalmologists and workforce planning amid a predicted 40% increase in demand over the next 20 years. Over the next two years an extra 230 consultant and 204 Staff and Associate Specialist (SAS) posts are required 67% of hospital eye
Over 70,000 trainees and trainers contribute to the GMC’s Training Environments 2018 report
The GMC has published a report summarising the findings of their annual national training survey and identified a number of key areas for improvement moving into 2019. The survey, which looks at the UK medical training environment, enables the GMC to continue to enhance medical education and training. Three key areas were highlighted by this