By Professor Jackie Taylor, President of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow

THIS week it’s been my honour and privilege to assume office as the President of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. As the key representative of more than 14,000 healthcare workers spread throughout Scotland, the rest of the UK and across the world, I relish the opportunity to ensure that the work of our historic institution is built around addressing today’s key challenges for the medical profession.

Over the coming months, my vision is for the college to focus on three main areas.

The first of these is the NHS workforce. Staff are the most valuable asset of the NHS, but we all work in environments where every day there are shortages: rota gaps and unfilled posts at all grades have become the norm. So what can we do? We plan to work with the other colleges, the NHS and Government to devise short and medium-term solutions to develop a sustainable workforce. It’s particularly worryingly that one-third of doctors in training, if given their time again, would choose a career outwith medicine. We need to better support them so that we can retain their skills and expertise within the NHS.

The second area is wellbeing. Doctors and nurses are reporting increasing levels of stress, fatigue, ill health and burnout. This year’s General Medical Council National Training Survey highlighted that one in four trainees and one in five trainers reported the symptoms of burnout. Some of this is related to sheer volume of work and there is no doubt that wellbeing and workforce are inextricably linked. However, workplace culture also plays a crucial role. Sadly, reports of bullying and harassment in the workplace are becoming more frequent, particularly related to underperforming services. Poor teamwork and leadership and undermining of staff erodes morale. These issues aren’t just bad for healthcare workers: there is clear evidence that staff wellbeing is related to patient safety, medical errors and quality of care. So what can we do? We will develop a programme of work to support wellbeing for healthcare professionals. This will include educational events, reinforcing the role of our mentorship and buddy programmes, peer support, signposting resources and services and working with the NHS and providers to improve workplace culture.

The third area is inclusivity. As the first female president of our college, I feel entitled to comment that as an institution it may not always have been as inclusive as it could be. While the permafrost is melting and there has been considerable progress, still when I look around, the constitution of the various boards and committees does not adequately represent the wider NHS workforce. That must change. So what will we do? Equality and diversity will overarch all our work from now on.

During my presidency I also plan to bring the interests of doctors in training to the centre of college activities. It sounds trite to say that they represent the future of the college and our NHS, but that remains true. This new generation brings a unique perspective, incredible enthusiasm and boundless ability. Combining these attributes with the skill and experience of more senior healthcare professionals is a winning combination. We’ll work to make this happen.

I’ve outlined a vision for the next three years. No doubt during that time there will be ups and downs. Despite this I’m determined to deliver, not just for our college, but to build an even better NHS for all.