The British Society for Immunology Clinical Immunology Professional Network (BSI-CIPN) represents over 220 professionals in the clinical immunology space including doctors, healthcare scientists, pharmacists and specialist nurses. As part of our commitment to strengthening and advocating for this community, we are pleased to publish the BSI-CIPN Workforce Report: Moving towards a workforce equipped for the future.
This report was funded through the provision of educational grants from BioCryst, CSL Behring, Grifols and Octapharma. These organisations have neither influenced nor contributed to the content of the report or any of its associated activities.
About the report
This report highlights the current state of the clinical immunology and allergy workforce across the UK, presenting new analysis that cross references staffing with population data at national level and at an additional regional level in England. The findings are presented across key staff groups, including medical consultants, speciality registrars, nurses, healthcare science staff and support staff.
It draws on workforce data from NHS England and comparable data from the devolved nations to support informed planning and investment across the specialty. The report was published in December 2025.
Why this report is important
The NHS workforce is the engine that keeps our healthcare system running. It needs support, investment, and growth in line with clinical innovation and patient need.
The clinical immunology and allergy workforce is under severe strain, with consultant shortages leaving some services extremely fragile. Rising patient complexity and higher volumes of diagnostic testing are intensifying these pressures, and the staffing shortages identified in the report are affecting access to care. Significant variation in workforce capacity exists across the country and between professional groups. This variability requires urgent investigation, along with coordinated national planning, to ensure services remain sustainable and able to meet patient needs.
With these findings in mind, the report sets out evidence based recommendations to support urgent national action, strengthen services, and grow the clinical immunology and allergy workforce across the UK.
Key findings
Our analysis highlights significant workforce challenges across the UK:
- High variability in staffing across professional groups, with particular shortages in Scotland and Wales
- Fifteen services covering large population areas with only one or two consultants, leaving these services at serious risk of collapse
- Uneven staffing in nursing, healthcare science, and support roles, demonstrating the need for a comprehensive national assessment
Recommendations
The report sets out evidence-based recommendations to address workforce pressures, including an urgent, nationally driven review of clinical immunology and allergy services in each UK nation, and increased training and consultant posts to meet clinical demand. It also calls for better workforce planning, improved data on service activity and outcomes, and support for staff training and development across professional groups.
Implementing these recommendations is critical to securing sustainable, resilient clinical immunology and allergy services, ensuring patients can access timely, local specialist care.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the professional organisations that contributed insights and recommendations to inform this report, providing valuable perspectives on the specific challenges in their own areas and helping to support the clinical immunology and allergy workforce. These organisations are:
- The British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology
- The Immunology and Allergy Nurses Group
- The LabMed Immunology Professional Committee
- The Institute of Biomedical Science
- The Royal College of Pathologists
- The Association of Clinical Pathologists
This report was funded through the provision of educational grants from BioCryst, CSL Behring, Grifols and Octapharma. These organisations have neither influenced nor contributed to the content of the report or any of its associated activities.
Published in December 2025.