Recommendation 30

Another challenge relates to the NHS workforce. There is a shortfall of professionals in this area, including of medical microbiologists and virologists.77 According to the Royal College of Pathologists, there is a 20% shortfall in consultant medical microbiologists and a 14% shortfall in consultant virologists.78 UKHSA told us that these scientists are essential to ensure that national guidelines on AMR are used by hospitals, training staff and providing input into infection control and the built environment.79 NHS England said that workforce shortfalls will be addressed through the long-term workforce plan and that it was reviewing postgraduate medical training to ensure enough people were going into these specialties.80 We also heard that there are — and testing — in the UK which had to be revolved so that own could be properly