Why Wales has to persuade doctors to come home

I was pleased to read this article in the Western Mail yesterday written by Conservative Assembly Member Andrew RT Davies, endorsing our We'll Keep A Welcome campaign.

BMA Cymru have consistently highlighted the problem of the shortage of doctors in Wales, which could lead to the NHS becoming unsafe for both staff and patients.

This campaign is the latest move by BMA Cymru to promote Wales as a desirable place to live and work.

We have contacted all schools in Wales to reach out to prospective medical students before they leave for university.

All students have been sent packs which include letters from me, as well as from Welsh postgraduate dean Derek Gallen, along with information about training in Wales and posters to put up in medical schools.

Whilst we are happy to initiate grass roots action here in Wales, the Government has a responsibility to ensure that safety standards in Wales are maintained, and that the citizens of Wales receive the quality healthcare they deserve.

Follow our campaign by joining our facebook group here to keep up-to-date with the latest developments.

Tell us why you think Wales is a great place to live and work.....

Mae hen wlad fy nhadau yn annwyl i mi

A line from the song which arouses passion in all who sing it. Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau, our national anthem.

It is precisely this type of gusto that BMA Cymru Wales would like to invoke in Welsh medical students currently studying elsewhere in the UK.

Our campaign “We’ll keep We'll Keep a Welcome / Pleidiol wyf i'm gwlad, intends to attract medical students back to Wales to train, and work as a doctor.

I’d like to thank all four Assembly Members who have contributed to my blog over the last two weeks in support of our campaign.

We really believe that Wales has it all. The standards of clinical training and career development opportunity are as good as can be found anywhere, with the added bonus of working in attractive surroundings offering excellent facilities and professional support.

With the added benefits of a quality lifestyle - reasonably priced housing, good schools and access to beautiful countryside - Wales is a clear winner when it comes to aligning career development with work-life balance.

“Wales has a tremendous amount to offer” - Shadow Minister for Health and Social Services, Andrew R.T. Davies A.M.

I am pleased to be given the opportunity to endorse the BMA Cymru campaign “We’ll keep a welcome”.

I have lived and worked in Wales all my life – I live with my family near Cowbridge in South Wales, situated in the rural Vale of Glamorgan but close to the Nation’s Capital City, Cardiff and we can therefore enjoy the best of both worlds – the beauty of the Welsh countryside and all that a bustling first city can offer.

We are never short of places to take our visitors - whatever their interests; the strikingly beautiful Welsh countryside boasts three National Parks and five regions designated as being of “Outstanding National Beauty”.

Wales has over 1200 Kilometres of coastline so you are never too far from the sea and the range of leisure activities that it provides, including surfing, sailing, fishing and swimming from some of the best beaches in the U.K. The temperate Welsh climate means that you can access the countryside throughout the year so if climbing the mountains of North Wales or the Beacons in the south are your bag or if you are into walking the coastal pathways or the picturesque valleys you will never be far from these areas.

Neither will you ever be far from civilisation – the cities and towns of Wales offer World – class theatres, museums and galleries – all evidence of the strong appreciation of music, literature and the Arts shared by Welsh people. Famous sons (and daughters) of Wales include Dylan Thomas, Richard Burton, Tom Jones and Shirley Bassey and throughout history many famous Welshmen and Welshwomen have helped shape the development of the Americas and emerging countries.

The Urban areas also have busy shopping centres that cater for all tastes and pockets and the night life – whether in the vast choice of restaurants of all culinary styles or in the friendly village pubs is there for all to enjoy and relax in.

In Wales we are also proud of the education that we provide for our children. We have a strong ethos of Life-long Learning and share our education facilities with many over-seas students. Our Universities are at the cutting edge of Research and Development, particularly in the Sciences and especially in Medicine.

Wales has its own unique culture and Celtic language, which although only spoken by 20% of the population, is enjoying a steady growth and is evident throughout Wales in the bi-lingual road signs and literature. This strong sense of culture helps the Welsh people to empathise with the cultures of other nations – illustrated by the International Eisteddfod held annually at Llangollen in North Wales since the Second World War to celebrate and promote understanding between nations of the World. Our Cities (Cardiff in particular) have a strong cosmopolitan flavour and are home to a myriad of ethnic cultures.

Did I mention Sport? The Welsh are renowned for their love of Rugby – but soccer also enjoys a wide following in Wales with highly enthusiastic teams representing their cities, towns, villages and schools. In fact, whatever your sporting interests you will not find it difficult to follow them in Wales.

Perhaps the thing that I love most about Wales is the people – the community spirit, the strong work ethic and the sense of “chwarae teg” (fair play) that is inherent in our culture makes me realise how lucky that I am to live and work in Wales, with the people’s sense of humour, willingness to communicate and their need to work as part of a cohesive team – working in Wales has much to recommend it – indeed, there has been an increasing inward trend for workers from outside Wales since the 1970s.

As a place to live and work I believe that Wales has a tremendous amount to offer – the beauty of its landscape, the entertainment in the towns and cities, the education and training opportunities available, the fascinating culture and history of the country and the warmth of its people make it a place that many want to come to but few want to leave.

Wales has a lot to offer everyone.

“What is important is that we do not become a net exporter of medical talent” – Peter Black AM

BMA Cymru have been concerned for some time about the shortage of doctors in Wales. It is a problem that we feel can no longer be ignored. For NHS Wales to maintain a high standard of delivery, sustainable solutions for the future need to be put in place now.

I have asked four Assembly Members for their take on this important issue. Today’s entry is from Welsh Liberal Democrat spokesperson Peter Black AM.



In March, the BBC reported that Wales is currently short of around 400 hospital doctors. Given that the total number of hospital doctors in Wales is only around 5,500, this is significant.

We have a significant problem with waiting lists in Wales. The latest statistics released by the Welsh Assembly Government show that there are 6,450 people who have currently been waiting for either an inpatient or outpatient appointment for over 22 weeks. The numbers of doctors available to treat them will not be the only factor in this, but it will be a significant one.

The need for new doctors in Wales is one that is not just confined to hospitals. The number of GPs under 45 has dropped considerably in the last ten years, from 951 to 743, while the number aged over 55 has increased from 272 to 450. This means we could expect roughly a quarter of our present GPs to be retiring within the next ten years or so.

Despite this, there has been no real increase in the number of GPs at the younger age of the scale during this period.

Many of those from Wales who choose to study medicine do so outside of Wales. Young people often do not want to stay in the area they have been brought up in and use their student years to explore the world by experiencing new places and people. This is natural and leads to well rounded individuals who are needed by every workforce.

However, what is important is that we do not become a net exporter of medical talent. When someone leaves Wales to study, we need to ensure that they are encouraged to return and that those who come from England to study in Wales are encouraged to remain.

As is often the case, the Welsh Assembly Government seem to have their heads in the sand over this issue. They claim that there are few vacancies and that there are good response rates to those vacancies that do appear. Even if they are correct and that is the case at present, we still have a potential looming crisis.

In healthcare, often the solution to short term problems is recruitment from abroad. However, if we have the talent, why should we have to poach professionals from other countries who have their own healthcare requirements?

The campaign currently underway by the BMA to encourage more Welsh medical students to return to Wales is a great idea and one which I very much back. Wales is a fantastic place to both live and work and we need to highlight this to students.

But this alone will not solve the problem. The government must ensure that the health boards have the funding they need to provide adequate coverage in all parts of the health service, so that the jobs are there for students to go into.

Putting off extra recruitment for later years will only make waiting lists longer, increase present GP workloads and make the problem more difficult to solve when our current medical professionals begin to retire.

The BMA are showing leadership on this issue, and now the Government need to back this up.

We’ll Keep a Welcome/Pleidiol wyf i'm gwlad

Today we are launching a new campaign "We'll Keep a Welcome" to attract Welsh students who have left the country to study medicine, to return to Wales to train as doctors.

We felt that St. David’s day was the perfect day for our launch.

BMA Cymru Wales will be contacting all schools in Wales to reach out to those prospective medical students before they leave for university.

All students will be sent packs which will include letters from me, as well as from Welsh postgraduate dean Derek Gallen, along with information about training in Wales and posters to put up in medical schools.

The idea for the campaign came about in an effort to tackle the problem of the severe shortage of junior, staff-grade and associate specialist doctors in Wales.

We have a facebook group to accompany the campaign, which is a great resource for keeping in touch and receiving news on what’s going on in Wales - until it’s time for those students to come home.

Here is the link to our facebook group - join it and spread the word!