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September 5, 2025

SP5.10 Under-representation of surgeons in senior leadership roles: implications for the development of surgical services in the UK

AAAmna AliWestern University OCOscar CanningUniversity of Leeds PWPaula WalkerUniversity of Salford

Key Points

Medical Directors in England showed significant gender and ethnic differences compared to the wider consultant workforce, indicating a lack of diversity.
Only 12% of Medical Directors were surgeons, while surgery makes up 19% of the NHS consultant workforce, reflecting under-representation.
The majority of Medical Directors are white and male, with implications for effective decision-making and resource allocation in surgical services.
Findings suggest a need for improved representation among Medical Directors to better understand and address local health and workforce needs.

Abstract

Abstract Aims This study describes the diversity of Medical Directors in England and assesses implications for surgical services in our hospitals Methods All 135 English NHS Trusts’ Medical Directors professional details were recorded from the GMC Register. Workforce statistics from NHS Digital and the IFS were used. Chi-squared tests were used to compare groups. Results There were significant differences in the demographic details of Medical Directors when compared to the wider consultant workforce (Table 1). Table 1.Demographic details of Medical Directors in EnglandVariableMedical Directors (n=135)NHS Consultant Workforce (N=57851)P-ValueGender0.001Male96 (71%)34133 (59%)Female39 (29%)23718 (41%)Specialty0.001Medicine56 (41%)14463 (25%)Anaesthetics19 (14%)8678 (15%)A0.001White109 (81%)32397 (56%)Asian23 (17%)17355(30%)Black3 (2%)1736 (3%)University of Primary Medical Qualification0.001UK119 (90%)35868 (62%)Non-UK14 (10%)21983 (38%)Mean length of time for Medical Directors from qualification was 32 years (range, 20-44). Conclusions There was a lack of diversity across Medical Directors, with some specialties (Medicine, A this has implications for decision-making and understanding local population and workforce needs particularly when considering investment within surgical services.

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