Nuffield Trust report on Parents in Surgery published

28 February 2023

In summer 2022 we commissioned the Nuffield Trust to conduct an independent review of the impact of parental or caring responsibilities on pursuing a career in surgery. The Nuffield Trust has now published their findings and made a number of recommendations. We are now working on consolidating these with those from our own report and reviewing our priority activities.

Miss Fiona Myint, Vice President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England and Council lead for Parents in Surgery, said:

“The report is detailed and makes numerous important recommendations for the RCS England, and other organisations, including NHS trusts and the British Medical Association, to improve the culture and policies within which surgeons, and healthcare staff more widely, have to work.

“It is clear there is a very real gap between policy and what is happening in reality. This is concerning and we will need to consider how we can support bridging that gap. We will take time to digest the Nuffield Trust’s recommendations and consolidate those with the findings of our work, before putting forward an enhanced plan that embraces parenthood within a surgical career.”