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the PIC
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A brief Review of the
three editions published during the countrydoctor vacation period.
Saturdays July 27, August 3 and 10th FRONT PAGES Rest periods could
close hospitals CCHC leaders promise
consultants ELSEWHERE IN THE THREE EDITIONS Dr Bogle's wife seems
to have been dropped as managing editor of bmanews together with the
post itself. Is this really an end to nepotism or just an omission
from the "cast list" on page 2? There are more and more assaults on NHS staff in Northern Ireland (2,089 last year) and doctors are demanding security. (27/7/02) Chisholm is still correctly pressing the fact that there was a systems failure to detect the excess number of deaths in Shipman's practice. (27/7/02) Jiggery-pokery in HMG has abstracted million of pounds of primary care money back to the Treasury. Chisholm has asked for more transparency of accounting methods but added that the panacea new contract would end this problem, anyway. (27/7/02). "President" Blair, who knows a great deal more about the accommodation in luxurious French chateaux and Italian villas than he does about the NHS, has refused to withdraw or apologise for his slur on single handed GPs. The creeps he left behind uttered some rubbish. (27/7/02). Surprise, surprise, Chisholm and Co have been re-elected. No change of intellect or outlook there, then. Maybe he'll be able to do something about the nonsense of GPs having to do jury duty, leaving their practices untended - or will the judge find and pay a locum? (27/7/02) An ?unintentionally anonymous feature by a "junior" expresses their concerns about the consultants' contract. He/she makes some good points. Look it up on the BMA website. (27/7/02) Some Trusts cannot be trusted to observe the law which says that workers should have copies of their contract to examine before taking up employment. Many juniors will be expected to start work shortly without this right. Rather quaintly the JDC chairman advises juniors to have their contracts checked by the BMA. Difficult if they have got one ! There is no indication of any help from the BMA. (3/8/02) Two, separate full pages are occupied by even more spin from CCHC for the consultants. (3/8/02) The Small Practice Association demands a retraction from Blair. Fat chance. (3/8/02) More "plain speaking" over the consultant contract in the roadshows. Apparently one doctor received much applause when he asked one of the "experts" why pay remains at ordinary rates in evenings and weekends when the rest of the country gets time and a half. The bmanews reporter was unable to report a reply - if there was one. (10/8/02) Juniors' leader Dr Trevor Pickersgill again advised rejection of the contract. (10/8/02) Dr Bogle writes about better communication. Maybe he should pass that message on to Dr Hawker who seems more intent on rubbishing and ignoring objectors to the contract than communicating and listening. The pen and ink portrait footing the item makes even the worst passport picture flattering. (10/8/02) A consultant's wife has a go at Peter Hawker, on the Letters Page. (10/8/02) An informative feature on staff absence usefully occupies a full page and should be read by all GPs. (10/8/02)
Saturday, July 20, 2002 FRONT PAGE Predictably the main headline screams about GPs voting 3 to 1 for the new contract giving the negotiators a mandate. With smug inaccuracy the paper claimed that 75.8% of GPs voted Yes. In fact, taking the No's and non-voters into account, less than 50% of GPs actually votede in favour of the Chisholm gift. Another item covered the demand of the Specialist registrars (SpRs) for a vote on the consultants' contract. Well, thanks to the JDC determination in BMA Council last week they have got it - with strings. These being that it will be possible to separate out the SpR votes and that the CCHC will have the final say, not the voters. ELSEWHERE IN A VERY THIN EDITION Student leaders have told government that unless medical students are properly funded the government's targets for doctor recruitment will fall by the wayside. The Director of Operation of Marie Stopes International has claimed that women need easier access to abortion. And, at the other extreme of life, Chairman of the BMA Ethical Committee, Michael Wilks has warned doctors not to provide information or materials for patients to commit suicide. The leader of the Voluntary Euthanasia Society said that terminally ill patients ahd the right to ask their doctor for such help. Page 3 has a headline cont6aining the word MILBURN and so should be treated with due caution. On this occasion he says all trusts will benefit from foundation status and that there will not be a two-tier health service. This comes from Chairman Bogle's meeting with said Milburn last week. At the same meeting Dr Bogle was given a number of assurances by Milburn but said, in a flash of realism, the BMA needed to monitor them closely. Could it be that Bogle does trust Milburn, which seems unlikely, or that he doesn't trust the Strategic HAs - which seems more likely? WELCOME This time, despite it already having been previously announced and derided as being just enough to cover the early funeral by proper GPs, Chiz "welcomes" the £2000/year to keep the over-60 GPs working until 65. Still, the idea is from Milburn, so it should be OK - shouldn't it? Page 4 contains another predictable item as the joint deputy chairman of the consultants writes about the new contract in an item headed "Consultants put at ease over contract proposals". Don't take my word for the undoubted fact that they are not, have a look at doctors.net. There seems to be an air of "I know best" from the consultants negotiators here when talking to very intelligent - presumably - colleagues who seem, in a majority, to disagree with them. Some may call that arrogance. One of the problems here is that the CCHC has put in an enormous amount of work to create the contract and ego's are becoming involved now they see it not being universally acceptable. Politically, that's about all of even remote interest in this sparse issue. Saturday, July 13, 2002 FRONT PAGE However, the single-handeds are not so impressed with Blair who continues to want their eradication. As the Small Practices Association Secretary says, the President's comments have turned back the clock in its relationship with government. The consultant's negotiators, having learnt the art of spin from Blair, Milburn and Chis are to tour the country explaining the details of the new contract in 50 roadshows. ELSEWHERE One or two hung-over reports from the ARM appear in this slim issue. female doctors are demanding flexible working and didn't want to work the same excessively long hours as men. In fact, they only want to work when it's convenient to them - or that's what it seems like. There's another clip about medical schools possibly dumping research to concentrate on teaching. An interesting full-page piece describes the imminence of the "virtual medical school". The perpetrators of this concept hope that the first students will pass through the virtual doors to learn on-line by 2004. It is said that it could help Blair/Milburn meet their target of increasing medical graduates by 54% by 2008 on the cheap. A number of interviewees suggest caution instead of excitement. A rather anxious, if not tortured looking Julian Neal of GPC relates his feelings about the GP Contract. Whilst he likes the proposals he does have some reservations such as compulsory allocations and pensions. These must be settled, he says. On the other hand, the past record of GPC is that such demands are quietly forgotten when it suits them. Neal expects the contract to be rejected if those demands are not satisfied and the pricing is wrong.. And that's about all there is this week.
Saturday, July 6, 2002 - ARM EDITION BMANEWS are to be sincerely congratulated for getting this edition out so quickly after the ARM. FRONT PAGE The headlines tell of the ARM backing the consultants' contract although there is no comment about the similar support for the GP contract. Mayor Livingstone is ticked off for daring to pronounce a view opposing the establishment on MMR. The ARM also supported a tax-funded NHS as being the best system although it must be said that the new BMA President did not agree with this view and he, too, was roundly condemned by at least one speaker. ELSEWHERE Dr Bogle's speech is
given a more sympathetic treatment than elsewhere on
site. Milburn Bogle's view Europe
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