The College has welcomed the Scottish Clinicians Collaborative (SCC), which supports clinicians who have recently retired or are working part-time to take on short-term work in rural general hospitals.
The programme was launched by The Scottish Government and The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in March to support health services in remote and rural areas, where recruitment can be more challenging than in urban areas.
Dr Patrick Byrne is Consultant Physician & GP at Belford Hospital, Fort William. Speaking about the SCC, he said:
This programme could provide vital support to NHS staff working in rural and remote areas, so I'm pleased that the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh have welcomed it.
The SCC has many selling points, but I particularly like the idea of a 'clinical passport', meaning that all administration and paperwork can be completed and accepted by all health boards across Scotland. Clinicians would not have to fill in the same paperwork every time they transfer to a new hospital, for example.
Professor Derek Bell, College President, said:
I'm sure that NHS staff working in rural and remote settings would welcome extra support from experienced and highly skilled clinicians. The Scottish Clinicians Collaborative seeks to deliver this support.
But while this programme could help, we must all be mindful that it's not a 'silver bullet' solution to the staffing problems in our NHS - nor should it be treated as such.
The College sees the SCC as one piece of an increasingly complex workforce puzzle, which requires a comprehensive approach. Retention of staff is absolutely vital right across our NHS.
