As an annual requirement for all consultants on the 2003 contract, job plans reflect changing patterns of service delivery and consultant work preferences. Regular reviews of the efficient and effective use of consultants’ time are critical to keep pace with changes to healthcare delivery.

Job planning for consultant clinical academics is with both the University and their NHS employer to agree an integrated job plan.

Terms and Conditions of Service, Guidance Notes for the Employment of Clinical Academics, the Honorary Consultant Contract and the Consultant Clinical Academic Substantive Contract Suggested Clauses can be found here.

NHS Employers and the British Medical Association (BMA) have agreed joint guidance on job planning, which provides a useful framework for doctors and managers to agree objectives-based, patient-focused job plans. Links to these guides and the NHS Employers job planning handbook are below.

The BAD has written a guide to Job Planning for Dermatologists (updated November 2022) which contains generic job plan templates for consultant-led services. View or download Job Planning for Dermatologists below.

Every year the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) conducts a census on behalf of the RCP, the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow (RCPSG) to provide insight into the state of the physician workforce in the UK.

The 2022 census of consultant physicians in the UK reiterates the need for long-term strategic planning to grow the medical workforce and for robust retention policies to reduce the pressure on existing staff.