Responses to workforce consultations and position statements

The College’s Workforce and Engagement team engage with various stakeholders across the UK to respond to calls for evidence or respond to consultations related to the pathology workforce.

Upcoming statements and responses

Appropriate release of medical colleagues for the purpose for carrying out work for the wider health system, June 2025

The 4 Chief Medical Officers, the GMC, the NHS National Medical Director, and the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges have written to NHS Boards to encourage them to continue to look favourably on requests from doctors seeking their support to undertake national or regional work for the wider benefit of the public and of health services.

The College welcomes this letter as a strong expression of support for the work our member volunteers undertake, which reinforces its value as a crucial investment in the functioning of the health systems across the UK.

We encourage members to read it, circulate it to colleagues, and refer to it in discussions with employers when seeking to pursue these roles.

We are in the process of developing further guidance to help support members who wish to be released for these purposes and will provide this advice shortly.

You can read the letter on the NHS England website.

Previous statements and responses

NHSE Medical Training Review, May 2025

We recently responded to the NHSE Medical Training Review, highlighting the challenges faced by residents in postgraduate training and consultants that deliver training. We advocated for robust workforce planning to actively align the number and distribution of training posts with local and regional need, particular in smaller specialties to avoid crisis situations.

You can read our full response here: RCPath response to the Medical Training Review.

10 Year Health Plan, October 2024

We responded to the 10 Year Health Plan advocating for urgent investment for the future of pathology services.

The College response focused on investment and reform of the pathology workforce, investment into IT, artificial intelligence (AI), digital and automation, investment into pathology estates and facilities, research development and innovation, contingency planning, developing pathology for community-based healthcare.

You can read our full response here:

Health Education England Strategic Framework Curriculum for Excellence, October 2021

The College response to the Health Education England (HEE) Strategic Framework CfE (Curriculum for Excellence) in 2021 focused on a range of objectives and priorities, including supporting the COVID-19 response and recovery, aligning with government healthcare workforce priorities, and contributing to the delivery of the NHS Long Term Plan. Key themes included long-term workforce planning, collaboration with social care, and providing timely information.