| Darzi Consultation |
| Friday, 01 August 2008 | |
Never mind the Polyclinics Away from the media hype about polyclinics, Lord Darzi and his team have published a sister report entitled 'A High Quality Workforce' In it they propose significant changes to future medical training. You MUST inform yourself about these. The traditional “que sera sera” approach at this particular moment would be selling ourselves a bit short after last year... Thankfully Remedy have condensed the key points of this weighty report into a handy consultation questionnaire for you. It takes about 3 minutes to fill out and we will get back to you (as well as Darzi) with the results once they're in. http://www.remedyuk.org/limesurvey/index.php?sid=35855〈;=en If you have the time, the full report can be read here: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_085840 2) Unfinished Business: (The Accountability Campaign needs YOU) It is the view of the Remedy committee that:- - MTAS and MMC was a disaster that damaged an entire generation of doctors - The professional conduct of those who led these reforms fell below the standard expected of Doctors in Management and brought the profession into disrepute - They should be held accountable for their actions. In a letter to the Lancet about MTAS last week we wrote that:- …Not one of those responsible for this avoidable catastrophe has been brought to account for the misery they propagated…. During the project's development it became apparent that there were multiple risks, and there were calls for delay. These calls were ignored… We believe that the small elite group of senior doctors who led this project and who failed to heed these warnings when they were in a position to do so should now consider their future positions in the management of the National Health Service. The General Medical Council (GMC) has issued clear guidelines for doctors who take up management roles, and it has taken action in the past against doctors who have failed to maintain public confidence in the profession or to uphold standards in non-clinical roles. The intervention of the GMC might be necessary if we are to restore public confidence in the accountability of medicine. If you agree with this please add your name online to the growing list (currently 800) calling for a GMC inquiry into the comportment of key individuals during the MMC/MTAS debacle. The same people responsible for raising professional accountability to a fever pitch at the grassroots level must not be allowed to shirk their own professional responsibilities with so little dignity. Unimpeachable leadership is such an unfashionable concept these days... we must resist it. Sign here: http://www.remedyuk.org/index.php/component/option,com_chronocontact/chronoformname,UnfinishedBusiness/ . It will take about 30 seconds Please also forward this email onto anyone you can think of who might be interested in chasing accountability for possible professional misconduct at the highest level. 3) Remedy on Facebook For anyone who doesn't know and love the thrills of being virtually poked, hugged, pinched and kissed... congratulations on being strong and avoiding this sinister rubbish. For those who – like us – are weak-minded and easily manipulated there is a growing Facebook group of about 800 (called RemedyUK believe it or not) where you can see what some of the Remedy community looks like (not bad as it happens) and, of course, perform all sorts of mindless activities... http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2247243587&ref=ts 4) Unfilled Places-a-go-go Country-wide Diary Card Exercise Planned Remedy have been receiving many reports from individuals who have been forced to cover for absent colleagues. They have been coerced into covering extra shifts. This has not been a one-off, there has clearly been systematic stretching of rotas. When the August changeover has had time to settle down then it may be time to document exactly what is going on. We will be encouraging individual departments to hold a diary card exercise to achieve this. In order for this to work you will need to organise a leader amongst each rota to act as a ringleader. More details in a few weeks. 5) Employment Agency Legislation (continued) Our legal bods have looked carefully at the implications of Employment Agencies legislation, and their full report has been sent to the great and the good. The precise legal position remains unclear. Although it seems very likely that this legislation could apply then it could require a court case to fully establish the position. Employment Agency legislation is a blunt instrument that was designed to protect work-seekers from unscrupulous agencies, especially in fields such as catering and show business. Remedy believe that junior doctors should be afforded the same protection from exploitation as other workers. The chief implications if this legislation were applicable are:- a. Better information needs to be provided to applicants regarding the jobs they have applied for. b. Better information should be given to Trusts about the applicants. c. There could be restrictions in Deaneries restricting the number of concurrent applications doctors can make. d. Confidentiality restrictions may prevent Deaneries from having both Educational and Employment roles. It may be necessary to change their corporate structure as a result. One important bit is that employment agencies are required to notify jobseekers where they are working within three days of making an offer. Our legal team is looking at finding a good test case to establish a precedent. Please contact us in confidence if you have been affected by this This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it 6) Up Shift Creek.... If you are one of the many changing into a depressing new full shift rota you might find the attached guide to shift work and sleeping helpful - from Prof Pounder et al at the Royal College of Physicians... Good Luck The Team RemedyUK |