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to move from their region of training after obtaining their CCT, with comparable results in 2011 and 2016; the percentages prepared to work only in their own region or an adjacent region were 86% in 2011 and 87.5% in 2016, while the percentages of those prepared to move anywhere in the UK were 14% and 13%, respectively. There was a high level of awareness of the current volume of unfilled Consultant posts in the UK, probably due to the impact that staff shortages have on the working environment. Not one respondent believed there to be no Consultant shortages in the UK, compared with 12% in 2011, and this was accompanied by a 130% increase in respondents who were aware of current shortages. In summary, the results of the BAD 2016 trainee survey suggest that trainees plan to work on average for 7.6 years in the 10 years following CCT. There was a 50% decrease in trainees who were interested in academic work. This data collection enables the association to consult with the Department of Health, Public Health England and Health Education England, who provide intelligence to the health and care systems to inform workforce planning decisions at a national and local level. This information on careers choices will help predict consultant vacancies and regional workforce distribution and thereby projected workforce demand. Further investigation is required to understand why trainees are turning from academic careers, which, if confirmed, threatens the future of academic dermatology. Unless national workforce planning takes into account the career plans of trainees that will affect their availability to fill NHS roles, there will be no resolution of the current workforce crisis. N. Goad and N. J. Levell British Association of Dermatologists, London, UK; and Dermatology Department, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, Norwich, UK E-mail: [email protected] Conflict of interest: the authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest. Accepted for publication 1 July 2017