IBMS response to BSI-CIPN report
The IBMS supports the British Society for Immunology Clinical Immunology Professional Network’s (BSI-CIPN) new workforce report, Moving towards a workforce equipped for the future, which highlights critical pressures on clinical immunology and allergy services across the UK.
The report shows that 15 clinical immunology and allergy services are extremely fragile, with only one or two medical consultants covering very large population footprints. In Scotland there is just one consultant per 2.05 million people and in Wales one per 1.06 million - compared with the Royal College of Pathologists’ benchmark of at least one consultant immunologist per 451,000 people.
Biomedical scientists and other healthcare scientists are central to safe, timely immunology and allergy diagnostics. Services need a sustainable skill mix, with more advanced and consultant-level scientist roles, so staff can work at the top of their licence and help bridge gaps in medical capacity. Persistent understaffing, growing test volumes and increasing clinical complexity mean that many multidisciplinary teams are working under sustained pressure, with little capacity for training, service development or innovation.
Commenting on the report, IBMS Chief Executive David Wells said:
Clinical immunology and allergy services are a vital part of modern healthcare, but this report shows too many teams are now working with staffing levels that are not sustainable, particularly in Scotland and Wales, where patients risk losing local access to specialist care.
We need nationally led workforce reviews in each UK nation that lead to funded plans to grow consultant, scientific and nursing capacity, and support skill mix models that expand advanced and consultant-level scientist roles so staff can work at the top of their licence.
Biomedical scientists are at the heart of immunology and allergy diagnostics. Investing in their training, career progression and numbers is essential if the NHS is to keep pace with rising demand and new immune-based therapies.
The IBMS looks forward to working with BSI-CIPN and other partners across immunology, pathology and the wider health system to support implementation of the report’s recommendations and build a resilient clinical immunology and allergy workforce for the future.