Medical job planning improvement guide

NHS England has updated the guide to improving consultant, specialist, associate specialist and specialty doctors job planning.

This medical job planning improvement guide is one way in which the NHS will work towards this ambition, supporting consultants, and specialist, associate specialist and specialty doctor (SAS doctors) to deliver more efficient and effective care. It is also an enabler for improvements in the following overarching metrics that Learning and Improvement Networks across the country are focused on:

• elective: increase percentage of patients waiting <18 weeks for their first appointment
• urgent and emergency care: reduce the proportion of beds occupied by long stay patients (7+ days)
• mental health: reduce the average length of stay for adult mental health inpatients

Drawn from interviews with medical directors, this guide sets out how clinical and operational leads have improved medical consultant job planning. It is a wide-ranging document, with links to further resources including:

• Outpatient services: a clinical and operational improvement guide
• Theatres, surgery and perioperative care: a clinical and operational improvement guide

This is an interim document, and NHS England has invited feedback.

Full document: www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/medical-consultant-job-planning