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The role of the consultant

July 2008

The BMA is seeking to define the role of the doctor issue as highlighted by Sir John Tooke’s final report ‘Aspiring to excellence’. It is envisaged that a conference, scheduled for October 2008, will address Tooke’s recommendations and develop a consensus view on the role of the doctor.

The purpose of this paper is to clarify what the CCSC believes to be the role of the consultant in the modern NHS and the characteristics, values and abilities they should possess in order to provide high quality healthcare.

It is necessary to define the role of the medically qualified consultant for a number of reasons. First, the role of the consultant will indicate which people will become doctors and the attributes that those who are already consultants should strive to develop. Second, it will shape the grounds on which consultants’ performance is judged. Third, defining the consultants’ role and the role of other medically qualified practitioners is important when developing systems of care. In addition, the debate about the role of the doctor is intertwined with many of the current issues affecting consultants, in particular, the possible emergence of a post-CCT sub-consultant grade and also the general debate over workforce planning and the perceived erosion of medical professionalism in some areas.

CCSC recently launched a campaign to promote focused and planned consultant expansion to meet the needs of patients, training and management. The perceived need for consultants depends on perceptions of what a consultant does. It is therefore important to clarify what is expected of the doctor in all areas of practice within the NHS workforce in order accurately to assess the resource requirements and skill mix needed to deliver care of the highest quality in the future.

Download the document in PDF format using the link on the right.