Further identified barriers to increased training in private hospitals include tight operating schedules and theatre lists, funding constraints and possible patient (consumer) resistance to treatment from trainees.
These constraints tend to be less significant when private hospitals are large or co-located with major public teaching hospitals, where specialists can be more flexible about taking in trainees and trainees can be available when there is a useful service that they can perform or observe. Consumer acceptance of trainees is likely to be influenced by the availability of information about the qualifications and skill levels of specialist trainees and their role in patient care, and an education campaign for engagement with consumers should be an essential part of the implementation process. It will also be important to engage with general practitioners during implementation given their important role in referring patients to specialist services.