The RCP has written to local MPs to highlight the shortage of consultants and higher specialty trainees in their area and call for them to put pressure on the government to urgently address the NHS workforce crisis.
From January 2018 to September 2019, 115 physician consultant posts in Devon and Cornwall were advertised but only 75 were filled.
Hospitals also experienced rota gaps, which have a huge impact on staff morale.
This comes as more and more consultants in Devon and Cornwall are reaching retirement age, with 38 per cent of those currently working in the region set to retire over the next decade.
The RCP is calling on the government to take sustained action to immediately increase the supply of clinicians. It believes that one practical solution to developing our home-grown workforce is to double the number of medical school places to 15,000 per year.