The recovery of training and education post-COVID-19: the importance of supporting the consultant workforce

Abstract

Background/aims Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, training and education have been significantly disrupted, causing an incalculable effect on trainees. However, the consultant workforce is crucial to the success of training recovery. The motivation of the consultant workforce to assist in training recovery, in a context of significant workload and increasing pressures on resources, is currently unknown. Methods This survey gathered the consultant workforce's views on assisting training recovery at one site of a large NHS foundation trust Results There was reduced motivation to engage in training and education when compared to pre-pandemic levels, widespread indicators of burnout, and changes in attitude towards reducing their working hours and early retirement. conclusions These findings demonstrate a worrying trend that is likely to be replicated nationwide, which highlights the need to support consultants to avoid further disruption to training recovery.