National Health Service hospital consultants across England voted in favour of a new contract. The agreement offered consultants pay rises of up to 24 per cent, depending on their age and experience, in return for restrictions on the amount of private practice they carried out. Consultants in Scotland also voted to accept a new contract. (The vote followed consultants rejection of a previous contract in 2002.)
Source: Terms and Conditions Consultants (England) 2003, Department of Health (08701 555455)
Links: Contract (pdf) | DH press release | BMA press release (1) | BMA press release (2) | Guardian report
Date: 2003-Oct
A report said that the 'two-tier workforce' issue in the National Health Service was 'immensely complex' with no simple solution. It explored potential solutions and urged the involvement of all stakeholders the NHS, businesses, trade unions and government in finding a sustainable solution. (A two-tier workforce is created when workers transfer from the public sector to the private sector and are then joined by new recruits with different pay and conditions.)
Source: Ruth Anderson, The Two-Tier Workforce: Understanding the options for change in the NHS, New Health Network (020 7407 1618)
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary
Date: 2003-Sep
Date: 2003-Aug
A think-tank report said that fundamental changes to the roles of health and social care staff and patients were needed to improve health outcomes. New types of staff were required to meet patients' needs better, including healthcare practitioners who examined patients, took their history and co-ordinated health and social care services. Support staff should be regulated and have better training opportunities to ensure the safety and effectiveness of care. Contracts between patients and health workers should be used to support patients to self-manage chronic conditions and self-care for minor illnesses.
Source: Liz Kendall and Rachel Lissauer, The Future Health Worker, Institute for Public Policy Research, available from Central Books (0845 458 9911)
Links: IPPR press release
Date: 2003-Jul
A committee of MPs said that National Health Service trusts had developed a range of measures to deter patients and visitors from becoming violent or aggressive: but there were no evaluations of the effectiveness of these deterrents, and dissemination of information on effective measures was limited.
Source: A Safer Place to Work: Protecting NHS hospital and ambulance staff from violence and aggression, Thirty-ninth Report (Session 2002-03), HC 641, House of Commons Public Accounts Select Committee, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report
Date: 2003-Jul
The government and the British Medical Association reached an agreement (subject to ballot) on a new consultants' contract. The government agreed to clarify that non-emergency work at evenings and weekends was by agreement with the consultant, and to reduce evening and weekend sessions from 4 hours to 3 hours per week. But doctors' representatives accepted the principle that all consultants should let the National Health Service have first call on a portion of their spare time before doing private practice.
Source: Heads of Agreement 17th July 2003: New Consultant Contract, Department of Health (08701 555455) and British Medical Association | Press release 17.7.03, Department of Health (020 7210 4850)
Links: Link to agreement removed by DH | DH press release | Guardian report
Date: 2003-Jul
The government began consultation on proposals for 'sweeping reform' of non-consultant career-grade doctor posts - aimed at improving career options and opportunities.
Source: Choice and Opportunity: Modernising medical careers for non-consultant career grade doctors, Department of Health (08701 555455)
Links: Link to report removed by DH | DH press release
Date: 2003-Jul
Between 1997 and 2003, the number of consultants working in the National Health Service increased by 6,500; the number of family doctors rose by 1,600; and the number of nurses rose by 55,000.
Source: Statistical press release 31.7.03, Department of Health (020 7210 4850) | Vacancies in the NHS 2003: Overview of the NHS Workforce Vacancy Survey in 2003, Department of Health (08701 555455)
Links: DH statistical press release | DH press release
Date: 2003-Jul
A study examined the options open to, and decisions made by, nurses over 50 - and the results in terms of their movement in and out of the National Health Service. It was found that there was much more that hospital trusts could do to retain and recruit experienced nurses in the drive to overcome staff shortages.
Source: Roger Watson, Jill Manthorpe and JoyAnn Andrews, Nurses over 50: Options, decisions and outcomes, Policy Press for Joseph Rowntree Foundation, available from Marston Book Services (01235 465500)
Links: JRF Findings 783 | JRF press release
Date: 2003-Jul
The annual census of the National Health Service workforce found that total employment increased by 57,808 (almost 5 per cent) in 2002, taking the total to 1.2 million. There were 27,070 consultants, up 1,288 (5 per cent); and 367,520 nurses, up 17,100 (up 4.9 per cent). This meant that the government had achieved its target of recruiting an extra 20,000 nurses two years early, with an extra 50,000 nurses recruited to the NHS since 1997. There was also an increase of 497 general practitioners (1.6 per cent), taking the total to 31,182. (England: 30 September 2002)
Source: Press release 27.6.03, Department of Health (020 7210 4850)
Links: DH press release | Statistical press release
Date: 2003-Jun
A report said that racism frequently blocked the career progression of doctors from ethnic minorities and from overseas.
Source: Lorelei Cooke, Susan Halford and Pauline Leonard, Racism in the Medical Profession: Experience of UK graduates, British Medical Association (020 7383 6129)
Links: Report (pdf) | BMA press release
Date: 2003-Jun
A report said that flexible working policies in the National Health Service would not benefit employees unless more was done to tackle the barriers which prevented more people from having a say in the hours they worked. It said that a long hours culture was still entrenched in the NHS, and that many nurses had to accept demotion in order to move to part-time work, because some managers did not feel that higher-graded staff could work part-time.
Source: Angela Coyle, Women and Flexible Working in the NHS, Equal Opportunities Commission (0161 833 9244) and Women and Equality Unit/Department of Trade and Industry
Links: Report (pdf) | EOC press release
Date: 2003-Apr
Following consultation, the government decided to proceed with training reforms which will mean that junior doctors are exposed to a wider range of experience before they make career choices.
Source: Modernising Medical Careers: Response of the four UK health ministers to the consultation on 'Unfinished Business: Proposals for reform of the Senior House Officer grade', Department of Health (08701 555455), Welsh Assembly Government, Scottish Executive, and Northern Ireland Executive
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2003-Feb
The government set out plans for a new package of rewards for National Health Service consultants (following the rejection by consultants of a new negotiated contract of employment). It said it intended to introduce the package from April 2003 following a short period of consultation. Individual NHS trusts would be able to implement the negotiated contract where there was sufficient support among consultants locally. In other cases trusts would be able to introduce a new system of annual incentive payments.
Source: Press release 23.1.03, Department of Health (020 7210 4850)
Links: DH press release
Date: 2003-Jan
