The Haematology Workforce, a comprehensive view report provides a necessary assessment of the current state of the haematology workforce, highlighting vital pressures around staffing levels, unrecorded work and current strains in the system.  

The BSH report found:

• Haematology professionals spend on average 7 hours each week undertaking unpaid overtime.  

• 50% of all haematology professionals said that they were exhausted after each shift, with many under-taking work outside of working hours to keep up with clinical demand.  

• Factors including age-profile and desire for a better work-life balance have led to a high proportion of haematology professionals planning to retire earlier, with 60% of consultant haematologists in Wales planning to retire in the next 3 years.  

• Large parts of essential work done by haematology professionals, including liaison haematology and transfusion, are not captured in NHS statistics and are, therefore, not considered in capacity planning. This has led to greater demands being placed on haematologists than time is allocated.  

The findings show that haematology professionals are under considerable pressure as the gap between available staff and required capacity continues to widen. The unbalanced distribution of training places, shortages of skilled workers to support haematologists, and transitions to less than full time working have all contributed to an unsustainable culture, where working excessive working hours and experiencing exhaustion after every shift has become standard.   

In support of these findings, the College’s 2025 Workforce Census found:  

• 82% of haematologists do not believe that current haematology staffing levels are adequate to ensure long-term sustainability of their service to meet growing clinical demand.  

• 73% of haematologists work beyond the number of hours stated in their contract in a typical week.  

• Of the haematologists that stated they work beyond their contracted hours, 20% stated they work 8 or more additional hours than contracted in a typical week, equating to an additional full day’s work. This is unpaid. 

• 70% of haematologists agree or strongly agree that they feel valued within their department; this drops to 29% when asked if they feel valued within their organisation.  

• 60% of haematologists agreed or strongly agreed that recruitment is a challenge for their department.

The College agrees with the findings in the report that robust workforce planning is needed to actively align the haematology workforce with local and regional need – based on population, diagnostic demand, working patterns, and succession planning. Recognition of unrecorded hours, investment in staffing, and improved wellbeing initiatives are also critical in supporting and retaining the overstretched workforce.

As outlined in our response to the NHS 10-year plan, shortages in the haematology workforce will significantly challenge the expansion of patient facing preventative programmes in the community. Additionally, investment in digital pathology must be committed to increase efficiency and reduce some of the workload pressures currently felt by the haematology workforce.

The College endorses the British Society of Haematology’s report and supports the Society in its work to deliver its recommendations, recognising that the findings of this report are necessary if the ambitions outlined in the NHS 10-Year Plan are to be realised.

Find our response to the NHS 10-year Plan and our recommendations for haematology here.