Modernising Medical Careers

Well, gals and guys, I'm finally coming to the end of the Darzi report High Quality Care for All.

What a lot of piffle ... but watch out my medical friends! Amongst all the new organisations and acronyms is one that should give the junior doctors some cause for concern ...

Medical Education England is to be established by the end of this year to advise the DoH on the training of doctors, dentists, pharmacists and "healthcare scientists".

MTAS Chaos

MTAS chaos is slowly unfolding today as thousands of doctors start (or don't start) their new jobs. The young doctors' campaign group Remedy UK has a good round-up of news from around the country here.

Central Manchester and Manchester Hospitals which run Kezia's hospital, the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital were expecting 173 doctors to start work today. A spokeswoman for the trust said there may be fewer operations. Good thing Kezia had her weekly appointment yesterday!

We will watch the reports unfold ...

Healthy Futures, Making it Better and the IRP - Update

If you recall from earlier posts (here, here, here, here and here), the North West Strategic Health Authority has been planning to “reform” (or “shake up”) the structure of paediatric, maternity and neonatal services across the whole area through the Making It Better proposal and to the healthcare of all in NE Greater Manchester through the Healthy Futures proposals.

(An aside – what the fuck is it with such “trendy” New Labour speak for consultations to be named as “Healthy Futures”? Why not just “A Review of Healthcare in NE Greater Manchester”?).

Our local council protested the recommendations of the proposals, as it will reduce some local services, particularly A&E. Some other councils in the area were also unhappy. As a result, the proposals were sent to the Independent Reconfiguration Panel (IRP), seemingly a non-governmental body of government-paid advisors, that reviews protested health decisions for the Department of Health. The request for IRP review was submitted in Patricia Hewitt´s time (thank you, Patsy, at least you didn´t make a dumb decision this time – but …) and as the submittal date to the DoH was just before her demise and Alan Johnson´s appointment to the Secretary of State for Health post …

The IRP submitted their report on 26 June and was meant to be published (i.e. put in the public domain) on 28 July.

However, the publication of the IRP´s report has been postponed “indefinitely” (quoting a local newspaper report) to give Alan Johnson more time to study its implications.

According to a DoH spokesperson “Given the level of complexity, size and scope contained in the Manchester reconfigurations, the Department of Health would like to understand what plans there are for implementation of any changes and more time to give the matter proper consideration”. (DoH press statement here).

Good on yuh Alan for not making rash decisions – and I am sure you have important things to think about today, 1 August, with the fallout from MTAS and tomorrow or the day after or the day after … with the NHS´s Programme for IT, etc etc.

You have publically committed yourself to send all disputed consultations to the IRP (did Patsy not?). Good on yuh!

However, I am curious as to why the Independent Reconfiguration Panel´s recommendations are not made public before the ministerial decision is made.

Remedy UK to welcome Alan Johnson

The junior doctors' organisation Remedy UK is planning to welcome the new Secretary of State for Health Alan Johnson. From their press release, "On Friday 28th July at 08:30, Remedy UK will present the new Secretary of State with a flower from each junior doctor in the country who does not have a training post for August 1st".

Junior Doctors

… or Doctor in Training, is a term given to all Pre-Registration House Officers (PRHO), Senior House Officers (SHO) and Specialist Registrars (SpR).

Fuck ! … That means Dr. K. who diagnosed our daughter with leukaemia is still in training, that means he is still subject to MTAS/MMC!

Now I begin to understand the enormity of the MTAS/MMC debacle.

Dr Crippen – why didn’t you explain this to us poor sods?

Patricia Hewitt

I have left much of the commentary about the U.K. health secretary, Patricia Hewitt, to others such as Dr Crippen at NHS Blog Doctor (link on right).

Two of his main themes have been cuts in maternity services and the new procedures for applying to junior doctor training positions (known as MMC/MTAS) which have been widely criticised and culminated last week in two massive IT security breaches involving MTAS.

Tonight sees the airing on BBC1 of two programmes of note. The current affairs documentary Panorama focusses on cuts in maternity services when it sent an undercover reporter to work in two maternity units. Links here and here. The programme airs at 20:00 BST tonight.

The second programme is Question Time at 22:35 on BBC1. A panel of politicians and experts fields questions from the public on issues of concern. Tonight sees Patricia appearing on the panel. I hope she watches Panorama beforehand.

Both programmes can also be viewed on the BBC website for those who miss them or are not in the UK.

For a general overview of the NHS's National Programme for IT (the "Spine") and its many difficulties I would thoroughly recommend Tony Collin's IT Project Blog.