Acute physicians in medical leadership: Essential, or nice to have?

According to Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection, it is not necessarily the strongest or most intelligent organism that survives, but the one most responsive to change. The ability to adapt has previously been one of the core strengths of the National Health Service (NHS) and the healthcare professionals that work within it. 'Reform or die' was the choice for the NHS described in the '10 Year Health Plan'. Therefore, we must evolve; to secure our survival, we must engage with leadership. It can no longer be a tick-box on the journey to Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT). If we want to influence the direction of healthcare, we must have a seat at the table. Diagnosing and treating illness is only a fraction of what clinicians of the future will do; we will need to develop into clinical leaders working throughout the system. A change of this magnitude will inevitably take time, but it is now that a strategic choice needs to be made to invest in our workforce and leadership training. And, arguably, who better to lead the way than the acute physician?