NHS consultant numbers have increased by 307 between 2000 and 2003, and continue to rise, in line with the Partnership Agreement commitment to increase the number of NHS consultants by 600 by 2006.A number of measures are being taken to address the recruitment and retention of consultants including reviewing succession planning and career development structures; opportunities to improve the retention of Specialist Registrars, with Certificates of Completion of Specialist Training, into consultant jobs within NHS Scotland, more quickly; investigating and costing the scope for international recruitment; also, a website portal is being developed to provide a one-stop-shop for the attraction and recruitment of consultants, within the context of the “Working for Health” website.