Most doctors can offer numerous skills both clinical and non-clinical. A lifetime in clinical practice equips a doctor with competencies which are never forgotten – how to talk to a patient, how to ask the right questions to tease out the problem, how to examine a patient, how to communicate clearly. Proficiency in practical procedures carried out daily, depending on a doctor’s specialty, include taking blood, putting up an intravenous infusion, giving an intravenous, intramuscular or subcutaneous injection, administering a vaccine and many more. The practice of medicine also develops and hones a variety of non-clinical skills which are applicable to numerous unrelated fields. These include the collection and evaluation of evidence, assembling a short-list of possible inferences (differential diagnosis), setting and testing relevant hypotheses and reaching a final conclusion. Many doctors need to read and assess research papers, make balanced judgements and follow or write guidelines based on research. Above all, doctors become adept at making decisions guided by the principles of good practice and demonstrating leadership to the teams they work in. Many doctors have chosen retirement to escape from being on-call, from running a practice or from continuing to work full-time. In particular, the mushrooming of bureaucracy requiring re-validation, keeping portfolios, fulfilling needless demands which are often irrelevant to the area of practice have driven many away. But they are not ready for total retirement and are willing to help in both clinical and non-clinical capacities if only there was an opportunity. I propose a solution which would register a group of retired but willing former medical practitioners available to offer their skills, akin in some ways to the Army Reserve force, formerly the Territorial Army. Interested doctors would elect to join this cohort, registering their skills which may include, but not necessarily, some form of clinical practice. For a few days each year, hopefully not more than a couple, they would attend training updates when the required modules for their offered skills would be completed, with the necessary boxes ticked confirming their suitability for use either as a volunteer, if the doctor did not require payment, or as an albeit temporary employee. This cohort of doctors would be available to be invited into action, probably with a brief clinical update on the relevant area where they are to be deployed at short notice, an army of medical reservists willing and able to be pressed into action in the next emergency. However, this would be more than just a reserve force waiting for a crisis. It would be a resource of which both the public and private sectors could at any time avail themselves, the latter for a fee which would enable the administration and training requirements to maintain the register to be funded. Those offering skills in decision making, evaluating, project managing, explaining and clarifying would be sought by many non-medical organisations. These proficiencies would enhance the capabilities of trustees, governors, non-executive directors, training officers, short-term project managers or other roles where these sorts of accomplishments would be useful. I see this as a two-way process. On the one hand, organisations, whether public or private, seeking suitably qualified candidates for a clinical or non-clinical role of limited tenure would be able to flag up their requirements to the register or actually view the CVs and proficiencies of those on the register and invite expressions of interest. The system would also work in reverse. Retired practitioners seeking a change of direction, or wishing to volunteer for a worthwhile cause, would also be able to promote their availability and skills or directly contact organisations which have made their requirements known. In short, this would be a resource linking the requirers with the providers. It would be there to explore week in and week out fulfilling the demands of both parties. But more than this, it would be a ready made task force of clinical or non-clinical expertise, trained, validated, categorised and, above all, battle-ready for action whenever the next crisis or pandemic occurs.
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