The British Society for Immunology Clinical Immunology Professional Network (BSI-CIPN) has published a new report exploring the clinical immunology and allergy workforce and making key recommendations to bolster services 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.
The report, titled “BSI-CIPN Workforce Report: Moving towards a workforce equipped for the future”, analysed UK workforce data from September 2024 and found that 15 clinical immunology and allergy services across the UK are operating with just one or two medical consultants. Such low consultant numbers make services extremely fragile, risking collapse if a consultant were to leave, become unwell or retire. With immunology services across the UK under such pressure, the impact of such events on neighbouring services could lead to wide-ranging loss of access for patients.
The report also found that devolved nations are under particular strain, with just one medical consultant per 2.05 million people in Scotland and one per 1.06 million in Wales. By exploring staffing of speciality registrars, nurse, healthcare science and support staff, the report found significant variability across regions.
The BSI-CIPN sets out a series of recommendations within the report, including an urgent, nationally driven service review for clinical immunology and allergy within each of the four nations. The report also calls for action to increase immunology medical training posts and grow the workforce where needed across other staff groups including healthcare scientists, nurses and support staff.
Professor Sinisa Savic, Chair of the British Society for Immunology Clinical Immunology Professional Network (BSI-CIPN) and Consultant in Clinical Immunology and Allergy, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said:
"Clinical immunology and allergy is a small but critical NHS specialty, yet years of inadequate workforce planning have left services under-resourced and, in some areas, close to collapse.’
“Despite the dedication of our clinical teams, current staffing levels cannot keep pace with clinical demand. This report sets out clear evidence of services at breaking point, with staff stretched to look after huge populations. Too many patients are facing a postcode lottery when it comes to access to services, with the situation in Scotland and Wales particularly critical.’
“With this report, we are calling for an urgent, nationally led workforce review with sustainable, long-term planning at its centre. To inform this, we need better data on workforce activity, capacity and demand. Policymakers must act now to reduce pressure on services and ensure specialist clinical immunology and allergy services can be accessed by everyone who needs them – no matter where they live. The BSI-CIPN stands ready to work with the wider sector to implement the report’s recommendations and build vital capacity within the specialty.”
Jill Edmonds, Nursing Representative for the BSI-CIPN and Consultant Nurse, Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said:
"This new report showcases just how fragile the workforce has become due to a lack of workforce planning. My nursing colleagues work hard to deliver quality care to our clinical immunology and allergy patients as part of a multi-disciplinary team, and as workload increases, support for the workforce must keep pace.’
“Support for our patients is at the heart of what we do, and our patients deserve to be confident in accessing services no matter where they are in the country. It’s clear that now is the time for a national workforce review and for policymakers to establish a long-term plan to stabilise and grow clinical immunology and allergy services.”
Rachel Dale, Healthcare Scientist Representative for the BSI-CIPN and Clinical Scientist, University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust, said:
"Healthcare scientists are a crucial part of the clinical immunology workforce. We must better support our valued staff currently working within clinical immunology and allergy to ensure that a career in the sector is both rewarding and attractive, and promotes ongoing professional development. This report demonstrates that additional resource is needed to be able to nurture and retain new talent coming into the specialty across professional groups. Longer term, comprehensive, workforce planning is needed, with training pathways at the core of this. It’s time for policymakers to commit to bolstering the immunology and allergy workforce for the future."
For more information, or to discuss the report please contact cipn@immunology.org
The report is endorsed by The Association of Clinical Pathologists, The British Society for Allergy & Clinical Immunology, The Immunology & Allergy Nurses Group, The Institute of Biomedical Science and The Association for Laboratory Medicine.
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.
