Welsh GPs resign from community hospitals
http://www.100md.com
《英国医生杂志》
Twenty seven GPs providing services at a Welsh community hospital have resigned.
The move by the GPs at Chepstow Community Hospital comes in the wake of concerns over the lack of a national deal in Wales on pay and conditions for GPs who provide services for 50 of the 60 community hospitals in the principality.
GPs in other areas of Wales may follow the action of the Chepstow doctors, which has helped to highlight concerns about the way GPs have been funded for working in community hospitals. Many GPs have already sent letters saying that they want to stop working in these hospitals.
"This is about community hospitals throughout Wales. We tried to negotiate a national deal and found that the Welsh Assembly were unwilling or unable to agree a national framework, mainly because of pressure from acute trusts to avoid agreeing a national pay structure," said Dr Andrew Dearden, chairman of BMA Cymru抯 GPs?committee.
"We did a quick survey among Welsh GPs working in community hospitals, and the average that they were getting paid was 70 p an hour. That means that if they were lucky enough to work Christmas day, they would get the princely sum of around ?5.
"GPs have been working in community hospitals over the last 10 to 20 years, and many of their contracts have never been modernised. We found that many practices couldn抰 produce contracts or invoices. They didn抰 know how they were paid or what their terms or conditions of employment were. Some were being paid salaries, even though they were independent contractors. The whole thing had been allowed to become a mess.
"When you put that in the context of the new GP contract and so on, GPs are now looking at where they are best spending their time
"What we wanted to do is to modernise the contract so that we could maintain the service. GPs are saying 憀et抯 work together; let抯 get a deal together that can keep the services going locally.?"
Gwent Healthcare NHS Trust say that the role of the GPs at Chepstow Hospital is now being carried out by hospital doctors led by a consultant.
"GPs have rejected a new contract offered to them that would have covered the GPs?continued care for their patients on the ward from 8 am to 6.30 pm and would have avoided the resignations. As a result, they have resigned from all their hospital duties including out of hours cover and the minor injuries unit," said the trust in a statement.
Sian Millar, general manager for community services in the trust, added, "We would have liked the service to continue to be provided by the GPs. During meetings with the doctors, we all accepted that the existing arrangements were outdated, and we agreed to give them a proposition outlining the level of cover needed at the hospital in the future.
"This was based on the changing needs of our services, with flexible working sessions aligned to all other doctors like them who are employed on a part time basis in our hospitals. We are disappointed that this couldn抰 go ahead."(Abergavenny Roger Dobson)
The move by the GPs at Chepstow Community Hospital comes in the wake of concerns over the lack of a national deal in Wales on pay and conditions for GPs who provide services for 50 of the 60 community hospitals in the principality.
GPs in other areas of Wales may follow the action of the Chepstow doctors, which has helped to highlight concerns about the way GPs have been funded for working in community hospitals. Many GPs have already sent letters saying that they want to stop working in these hospitals.
"This is about community hospitals throughout Wales. We tried to negotiate a national deal and found that the Welsh Assembly were unwilling or unable to agree a national framework, mainly because of pressure from acute trusts to avoid agreeing a national pay structure," said Dr Andrew Dearden, chairman of BMA Cymru抯 GPs?committee.
"We did a quick survey among Welsh GPs working in community hospitals, and the average that they were getting paid was 70 p an hour. That means that if they were lucky enough to work Christmas day, they would get the princely sum of around ?5.
"GPs have been working in community hospitals over the last 10 to 20 years, and many of their contracts have never been modernised. We found that many practices couldn抰 produce contracts or invoices. They didn抰 know how they were paid or what their terms or conditions of employment were. Some were being paid salaries, even though they were independent contractors. The whole thing had been allowed to become a mess.
"When you put that in the context of the new GP contract and so on, GPs are now looking at where they are best spending their time
"What we wanted to do is to modernise the contract so that we could maintain the service. GPs are saying 憀et抯 work together; let抯 get a deal together that can keep the services going locally.?"
Gwent Healthcare NHS Trust say that the role of the GPs at Chepstow Hospital is now being carried out by hospital doctors led by a consultant.
"GPs have rejected a new contract offered to them that would have covered the GPs?continued care for their patients on the ward from 8 am to 6.30 pm and would have avoided the resignations. As a result, they have resigned from all their hospital duties including out of hours cover and the minor injuries unit," said the trust in a statement.
Sian Millar, general manager for community services in the trust, added, "We would have liked the service to continue to be provided by the GPs. During meetings with the doctors, we all accepted that the existing arrangements were outdated, and we agreed to give them a proposition outlining the level of cover needed at the hospital in the future.
"This was based on the changing needs of our services, with flexible working sessions aligned to all other doctors like them who are employed on a part time basis in our hospitals. We are disappointed that this couldn抰 go ahead."(Abergavenny Roger Dobson)