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| Jeremy Hunt gives NHS consultants ultimatum on weekend working | |
| (about 9 hours later) | |
| Britain’s medical consultants are to be told by the health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, that a new weekend working contract will be imposed on them unless they agree to the sweeping changes within six weeks. | Britain’s medical consultants are to be told by the health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, that a new weekend working contract will be imposed on them unless they agree to the sweeping changes within six weeks. |
| I have yet to meet a consultant who would be happy for their own family to be admitted at weekends | I have yet to meet a consultant who would be happy for their own family to be admitted at weekends |
| The new contract will have at its core the controversial weekend working provision, but will also contain the abolition of lucrative overtime payments that Hunt describes as extortionate. | The new contract will have at its core the controversial weekend working provision, but will also contain the abolition of lucrative overtime payments that Hunt describes as extortionate. |
| Hunt will send out “a get real message” to the British Medical Association, saying a new contract, including seven-day working, starting with new consultants, is essential if the NHS is to make efficiency savings and meet its target of becoming a full seven-day service by 2020. He wants the new contract to start from April 2017. | Hunt will send out “a get real message” to the British Medical Association, saying a new contract, including seven-day working, starting with new consultants, is essential if the NHS is to make efficiency savings and meet its target of becoming a full seven-day service by 2020. He wants the new contract to start from April 2017. |
| The BMA, he will claim, has become “a roadblock to reform” and is not remotely in touch with the views of its members”. | The BMA, he will claim, has become “a roadblock to reform” and is not remotely in touch with the views of its members”. |
| Hunt’s move was described by the BMA as a “wholesale attack on doctors”. It said the ultimatum was a “blatant attempt” by the Government to distract from its “refusal to invest properly in emergency care”. | |
| At present, under a contract last negotiated by Labour in 2003, only consultants in A&E are expected to work weekends or evenings, and the remainder can opt out if they are asked to work outside the hours of 7am to 7pm Monday to Friday. | At present, under a contract last negotiated by Labour in 2003, only consultants in A&E are expected to work weekends or evenings, and the remainder can opt out if they are asked to work outside the hours of 7am to 7pm Monday to Friday. |
| A patient has a 15% higher chance of dying if they are admitted in a hospital on a Sunday than on a Wednesday, he will point out, clearly implying the inflexibility of consultants leads to unnecessary deaths. | A patient has a 15% higher chance of dying if they are admitted in a hospital on a Sunday than on a Wednesday, he will point out, clearly implying the inflexibility of consultants leads to unnecessary deaths. |
| He will point to research showing that the pay of England and Wales 40,000 consultants rose by 50% between 2001 and 2005. | He will point to research showing that the pay of England and Wales 40,000 consultants rose by 50% between 2001 and 2005. |
| His assault on the BMA comes in a speech to the King’s Fund setting out his 25-year vision for the NHS. | His assault on the BMA comes in a speech to the King’s Fund setting out his 25-year vision for the NHS. |
| Related: NHS funding: what does the £8bn spending increase actually mean? | Related: NHS funding: what does the £8bn spending increase actually mean? |
| Hunt will say: “Around 6,000 people lose their lives every year because we do not have a proper seven-day service in hospitals. No one could possibly say that this was a system built around the needs of patients and yet when I pointed this out to the BMA they told me to ‘get real.’ I simply say to the doctors union that I can give them 6,000 reasons why they, not I, need to ‘get real’.” | Hunt will say: “Around 6,000 people lose their lives every year because we do not have a proper seven-day service in hospitals. No one could possibly say that this was a system built around the needs of patients and yet when I pointed this out to the BMA they told me to ‘get real.’ I simply say to the doctors union that I can give them 6,000 reasons why they, not I, need to ‘get real’.” |
| He will condemn the BMA by saying: “They are not remotely in touch with what their members actually believe. I have yet to meet a consultant who would be happy for their own family to be admitted at weekends or would not prefer to get test results back more quickly for their own patients. Timely consultant review when a patient is first admitted, access to key diagnostics, consultant-directed interventions, ongoing consultant review in high dependency areas and proper assessment of mental health needs: I will not allow the BMA to be a roadblock to reforms that will save lives. | He will condemn the BMA by saying: “They are not remotely in touch with what their members actually believe. I have yet to meet a consultant who would be happy for their own family to be admitted at weekends or would not prefer to get test results back more quickly for their own patients. Timely consultant review when a patient is first admitted, access to key diagnostics, consultant-directed interventions, ongoing consultant review in high dependency areas and proper assessment of mental health needs: I will not allow the BMA to be a roadblock to reforms that will save lives. |
| “There will now be six weeks to work with BMA union negotiators before a September decision point. But be in no doubt: if we can’t negotiate, we are ready to impose a new contract.” | “There will now be six weeks to work with BMA union negotiators before a September decision point. But be in no doubt: if we can’t negotiate, we are ready to impose a new contract.” |
| Hunt will demand that the majority of hospital doctors must be on seven-day contracts by the end of the parliamentary term to deliver a better service to patients. He will stress that they will not be required to work longer hours, but instead to be more flexible in their shifts. | Hunt will demand that the majority of hospital doctors must be on seven-day contracts by the end of the parliamentary term to deliver a better service to patients. He will stress that they will not be required to work longer hours, but instead to be more flexible in their shifts. |
| Hunt is proposing a crackdown on overtime pay given to consultants who work at weekends. | Hunt is proposing a crackdown on overtime pay given to consultants who work at weekends. |
| BMA council chairman Dr Mark Porter said: “Despite whatever the health secretary may claim, his simplistic approach ignores the fact that this is a much broader issue than just doctors’ contracts. | |
| “Today’s announcement is nothing more than a wholesale attack on doctors to mask the fact that for two years the government has failed to outline any concrete proposals for introducing more seven-day hospital services. | |
| “The health secretary has questions to answer. How does he plan to pay for it? How will he ensure there isn’t a reduction in mid-week services or fewer doctors on wards Monday to Friday? Yet again there are no answers. | |
| “This is a blatant attempt by the Government to distract from its refusal to invest properly in emergency care. So, I say again to the Health Secretary, get real and show us what you mean.” | |
| Related: NHS lacks money and staff for seven-day operation, David Cameron told | Related: NHS lacks money and staff for seven-day operation, David Cameron told |
| The Department of Health said consultants earned an average full-time equivalent wage of £118,000, about four times the average for a nurse, and a report by the National Audit Office showed that 71% of additional work carried out by consultants who have opted out of weekend work had to be at locally negotiated rates, sometimes costing four times more – up to £200 an hour. | The Department of Health said consultants earned an average full-time equivalent wage of £118,000, about four times the average for a nurse, and a report by the National Audit Office showed that 71% of additional work carried out by consultants who have opted out of weekend work had to be at locally negotiated rates, sometimes costing four times more – up to £200 an hour. |
| Government sources said not only were mortality rates in hospitals significantly higher at weekends, but hospital efficiency was severely reduced due to the absence of consultants capable of making critical decisions about patient treatment, including patient discharge or further emergency work. | Government sources said not only were mortality rates in hospitals significantly higher at weekends, but hospital efficiency was severely reduced due to the absence of consultants capable of making critical decisions about patient treatment, including patient discharge or further emergency work. |
| Hunt’s confrontation with the consultants is included in a broader message trying to reassure the electorate that a majority Conservative government is committed to NHS founding principles, free at the point of use regardless of ability to pay. | Hunt’s confrontation with the consultants is included in a broader message trying to reassure the electorate that a majority Conservative government is committed to NHS founding principles, free at the point of use regardless of ability to pay. |
| Hunt’s speech, part of the coordinated Tory attempt to colonise previously secure Labour territory, will reassert the party’s surprise election pledge to find an extra £8bn for the NHS by the end of the parliament. | Hunt’s speech, part of the coordinated Tory attempt to colonise previously secure Labour territory, will reassert the party’s surprise election pledge to find an extra £8bn for the NHS by the end of the parliament. |
| “We are passionate about what the NHS stands for: the belief that the highest ideal for any civilised society is to offer its citizens access to high quality healthcare irrespective of means” | “We are passionate about what the NHS stands for: the belief that the highest ideal for any civilised society is to offer its citizens access to high quality healthcare irrespective of means” |
| He will point out that hospitals such as Salford Royal and Northumbria have already instituted seven-day working have seen improvements in patient care and staff morale. | He will point out that hospitals such as Salford Royal and Northumbria have already instituted seven-day working have seen improvements in patient care and staff morale. |
| He will also propose progression through the pay system will be linked to levels of responsibility and achievement, not time served on the job. The replacement of outdated local clinical excellence awards with more transparent payments for achieving excellence will also be on the table for discussion with the BMA along with proposals for improved terms for those consultants with the most demanding unsocial work patterns. | He will also propose progression through the pay system will be linked to levels of responsibility and achievement, not time served on the job. The replacement of outdated local clinical excellence awards with more transparent payments for achieving excellence will also be on the table for discussion with the BMA along with proposals for improved terms for those consultants with the most demanding unsocial work patterns. |
| According to Hunt, the new plans will mean that doctors working in some of the toughest areas in the NHS, such as A&E and obstetrics, will be properly rewarded and there will be faster pay progression for consultants early on in their career. | According to Hunt, the new plans will mean that doctors working in some of the toughest areas in the NHS, such as A&E and obstetrics, will be properly rewarded and there will be faster pay progression for consultants early on in their career. |