Carrie MacEwen, chairwoman of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, told the Times that doctors need to take responsibility for improving the NHS and to stop complaining.
Professor MacEwen said that doctors could no longer afford to “sit on their hands” and that they were obligated to ensure the ten-year plan works.
She continued that the government had provided the NHS with a “substantial sum” of money, and that a lack of funding could not be blamed for all problems which befell the institution.
The chairwoman of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges believes that after years of problems with both funding and staffing levels, the 220,000 doctors in the NHS ought to make the most of what she deems a “golden opportunity”.
The first five years of the overall plan include the promise of £20.5 billion to help alleviate the present staffing crisis. According to MacEwen, this is indicative of ministers recognising the importance of improving both staff morale and increasing numbers overall.
Analysis of the funding indicates the increase is below the NHS long-term average.
The current situation was compared to the treatment of teachers, with MacEwen noting that: “given the parallels in some other professions outside medicine, we know how this movie ends.”
MacEwen hopes to use her influence as head of an academy which brings together 23 medical royal colleges to set a new tone for the profession.
She said: “There’s an attitude and culture that needs to be addressed. Everybody has to take responsibility. If we continue to blame government and only government then we will not get anywhere.”
MacEwen’s view was contested by co-founder of Doctor’s Association UK, Dr Samantha Batt-Rawden, who stated that the greatest problems faced by those in the medical profession were “simply out of our control”.
She continued: “It’s clear that the solution is not going to be from clinicians, but those setting the rules.”
