This story was first published in digitalhealth.net
Consultants restart contract negotiations
The British Medical Association (BMA) has commented that it is prepared to negotiate ending the right to opt out of weekend work, but assured that there was still much to discuss.
In July, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt warned that if the BMA did not agree to enter serious negotiations over contracts by mid-September - including the end of opting out of weekend work - he would impose changes to contracts for newly-appointed consultants.
A new commitment on safeguards, along with an agreement to collect the data that will underpin planning, has led to the BMA consultants committee agreeing to restart talks.
BMA consultants committee chair Paul Flynn said: “The BMA is committed to reaching agreement on a contract that delivers high-quality, safe patient care across the week. There is still much to discuss, but we want to deliver a contract that is good for patients, fair for doctors and good for the NHS.”
The BMA has also said that while detailed talks are set to resume with NHS Employers, it remains essential that the government answer all the fundamental questions that doctors have posed about its plans for seven-day services.
Stating that nine out of 10 consultants already work evenings and weekends, the British Medical Journal (BMJ) has found that only one per cent of consultants have used the provision in their current contract to decline working outside agreed hours.
Flynn said: “In areas such as emergency medicine, consultants have been the driving force behind 24/7 working patterns. The real obstacle to delivering more seven-day services is not the consultant contract but the lack of staff, investment and resources needed to deliver extra care at a time of enormous strain on existing services.
“This is why it is important that the government works with us constructively in the coming months and provides more detail on how it plans to staff and fund more weekend care.”
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