Without clinical academics, the UK's life sciences ambitions will fall short

Although the UK has among the best clinical academic training in the world, progressive challenges within training pathways and reduction in posts at critical career points mean clinical academia is no longer viewed as an attractive career and the UK's clinical academic workforce is declining.

This is raising serious questions about our ability to continue to deliver transformative improvements to health and bioscience.

Professor Rosalind Smyth CBE FMedSci Academy Vice-President (Clinical)

There are numerous examples of the exceptional and profound value and impact of clinical academics on society, through improving patient health, bringing in economic investment and building UK research capacity by connecting the NHS and universities.

 See how clinical academics add value

Unlike other academics in the university workforce, clinical academics have an alternative career track which is secure and well-compensated, i.e. following into a full-time NHS clinical role. For people in their 30s with many financial and domestic commitments, these issues understandably become important in decision-making. The same is true for universities which are having to make challenging financial decisions and for whom hiring clinical academics is increasingly costly.  

Recently published data from the Medical Schools Council show that the proportion of consultants working as clinical academics has fallen to 3.2% in 2025, continuing a long-term decline from 4.7% in 2009. This decline has not resulted from one single issue but from a combination of disincentives that make talented individuals turn away from the clinical academic career track; the financial pressures on those funding such positions in the NHS and universities, make it increasingly difficult to maintain existing posts or create new ones. 

As we highlighted recently in Measuring what Matters, this is part of a wider pressure on UK research; the clinical academic workforce is ageing and shrinking. It is in this context that the recent announcement from the Office for Students that the Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) will no longer provide support to universities towards salaries of those employed as consultants or GPs in the NHS, nor support for them to stay in the NHS pension scheme comes as a further, major blow to clinical academic careers. 

This is in stark contrast with the recent publication of the Life Sciences Jobs Plan which rightly recognises the need to develop the talent, skills and career opportunities required to sustain the UK's position as a life sciences superpower.

If the UK is to remain a global leader in health research, innovation and life sciences, we need a coordinated cross-government commitment to protect, grow and sustain the clinical academic workforce. This career track needs to be seen as an attractive one to the well trained, keen and talented people we need to lead this work. There is an urgent need to provide better job security, including more accessible and permanent posts, pay parity with NHS staff and robust framework to balance clinical and academic commitments. Universities cannot do this alone.

Unless we act now, this vital UK success story will wither on the vine. 

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How clinical academics add value