A NEW report from the British Society for Immunology Clinical Immunology Professional Network (BSI-CIPN) has warned that clinical immunology and allergy services across the UK are operating under extreme pressure, with some regions at risk of service collapse.
The “BSI-CIPN Workforce Report: Moving towards a workforce equipped for the future” analysed nationwide data from September 2024 and found that 15 UK services are staffed by only one or two medical consultants, leaving them highly vulnerable to disruption should any consultant leave, fall ill, or retire.
Severe Regional Imbalances Highlight Systemic Risk
The report identifies profound disparities across the devolved nations. Scotland currently has just one medical consultant per 2.05 million people, while Wales has one per 1.06 million, figures far below what is considered safe for sustainable service delivery. Analysis of specialty registrar numbers, nursing staff, healthcare scientists and support roles revealed similarly uneven provision across the UK, raising concerns about long-term service resilience.
Professor Sinisa Savic, Chair of the BSI-CIPN, warned that chronic under-resourcing has left services “close to collapse” and patients facing a postcode lottery for timely specialist care. He called for “an urgent, nationally led workforce review” alongside improved data collection and long-term planning to meet rising clinical demand.
Call for National Workforce Planning and Investment
The report outlines key recommendations, including expansion of immunology training posts, strengthened recruitment and retention strategies across the wider multidisciplinary workforce, and coordinated national planning to stabilise and grow services. Nursing and healthcare science leaders echoed these concerns, emphasising the need for sustainable staffing models and improved career development pathways to retain skilled professionals.
The BSI-CIPN stresses that without immediate policy intervention, workforce shortages will continue to threaten equitable access to specialist immunology and allergy care across the UK.
Reference
British Society for Immunology Clinical Immunology Professional Network (BSI-CIPN). BSI-CIPN Workforce Report: Moving towards a workforce equipped for the future. 2025. Available at: https://www.immunology.org. Last accessed: 04 December 2025.
