The challenges of staffing a shortage speciality in a remote location

In common with a number of shortage specialities, Highland radiology has been unable to recuit by advert for over 10 years. The future of the speciality in the Highlands is now threatened by staff shortages. Other remote departments have seen an accelerated drift away of staff as working conditions deteriorate leaving in one centre less than one full time radiologist. With over 420 vacancies in the UK, qualified radiologists can choose where to work and what kind of work they wish to do both in the state and private sectors. The competing attractions of family location, origin, home investment, spouse employment, familiarity, professional specialisation, income maximisation, private practice and leisure interests are addressed. The more complex issues of arresting the drift to the south of professional staff during and after training are explored with potential solutions to some of the challenges: Maintaining and improving the longitudinal retention and lateral recuitment and the attractiveness of the remote professional environment is reviewed.

This abstract was presented at the Innovative Solutions in Remote Healthcare - 'Rethinking Remote' conference, 23-24 May 2016, Inverness, Scotland.