Response to NHS England announcement on retired doctors

Responding to an NHS England announcement that retired doctors will have an option to re-join the NHS, Professor Neil Mortensen, President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England said:

“In principle, we welcome this initiative. Many surgical colleagues have said they would gladly come back into the NHS, but much depends on the detail. Preference should be given to working in a familiar environment, their own hospital or nearby.  This would be another way of boosting the NHS workforce at a time when there are significant gaps.  Bringing back clinically experienced consultants would also help to reduce the clinic appointment backlog.”

Notes to editors:

1. The Royal College of Surgeons of England provides world-class education, assessment and development to 30,000 surgeons, dental professionals and members of the wider surgical and dental care teams, at all stages of their career. Our vision is to see excellent surgical care for everyone. We do this by setting professional standards, facilitating research and championing the best outcomes for patients.
2. For more information, please contact the Press Office: Telephone: 020 7869 6053/6054/6047; Email: pressoffice@rcseng.ac.uk; Out-of-hours media enquiries: 0207 869 6056.