Academic obstetrics and gynaecology in the 21st century

The future of academic departments of obstetrics and gynaecology will be determined by a number of sometimes conflicting forces. On the present funding model, departments may become entirely research centred with the major undergraduate teaching being provided by the National Health Service. Such departments could be run by non-clinical staff. An alternative scenario may be teaching-only departments with minimal research commitment. A third option is the integration of clinical research, teaching and practice in a university hospital structure where the head of department is the head of service. This model has proven to be very successful but is an expensive option as it functions well only with high funding and staffing levels.