Senior doctors in England vote to accept improved government pay deal, ending year-long dispute

Published: 05 April 2024 at 17:17

Health

Senior doctors in England, represented by the British Medical Association (BMA), voted in favor of an improved government pay deal that includes a 2.85% (£3,000) uplift for senior doctors of four to seven years. The deal also involves changes to the doctors' and dentists' review body (DDRB). The end of the year-long dispute and strike action is seen as positive news for patients and the NHS, as it aims to address the long waiting lists for hospital treatment. The deal also eases pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ahead of an expected election later this year, with the Tory party trailing behind Labour in polls.

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Consultants in England reach deal with government to potentially end pay dispute and strike action

Consultants in England have reached a deal with the government that could put an end to the ongoing pay dispute and strikes. The new offer would provide more senior doctors with an additional pay rise, with top hospital doctors potentially receiving a raise between 6% and 19.6%. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak emphasized the importance of ending strike actions in the NHS to improve patient care. The British Medical Association (BMA) welcomed the offer as a step forward in restoring fairness and highlighted the need for further pay restoration to address the consultant workforce retention crisis in the future.

Junior doctors in Wales hold four-day walkout over pay and working conditions

Thousands of junior doctors in Wales have embarked on a four-day walkout, voicing concerns over a 29.6% pay decrease in the past 15 years and poor working conditions. The strike, the longest yet, aims to restore previous pay levels. The Welsh government's 5% pay rise offer was deemed inadequate, leading to over 3,000 doctors participating in industrial action. Health officials warned of service disruptions, while the government cited financial constraints. The British Medical Association remains firm on the need for fair compensation to retain medical professionals.

British Medical Association (Wikipedia)

The British Medical Association (BMA) is a registered trade union for doctors in the United Kingdom. It does not regulate or certify doctors, a responsibility which lies with the General Medical Council. The BMA has a range of representative and scientific committees and is recognised by National Health Service (NHS) employers alongside the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association as one of two national contract negotiators for doctors.The BMA's stated aim is "to promote the medical and allied sciences, and to maintain the honour and interests of the medical profession".

UK NHS Public Satisfaction Reaches Record Low in 2023

Public satisfaction with the NHS in the UK has dropped to just 24%, the lowest level ever recorded, with long waiting times and staff shortages being the main concerns. This marks a significant decline from the 70% satisfaction rate in 2010. The Nuffield Trust and King's Fund report shows dissatisfaction with core services like A&E and dentistry. Despite challenges, 48% support increased taxes for NHS funding. The survey also highlights concerns about funding, long wait times, and staff shortages in the healthcare system.

9.7 Million People in England Waiting for NHS Appointments or Treatment: ONS Survey

An Office for National Statistics (ONS) survey of 90,000 adults reveals that 9.7 million people in England are waiting for NHS appointments or treatment, indicating a significant increase from previous estimates. Delays are most prominent among 16-24-year-olds, with one in five reporting waits of over a year. The NHS waiting list stood at 7.6 million in January, with 4.2% of waits over a year. NHS staff are working to reduce backlogs, but challenges include workforce shortages and lack of capacity. Patients also face difficulties reaching GPs, with one in five experiencing poor GP care.

Crushing Loss In UK Polls Predicted For Rishi Sunak-Led Conservative Party

A recent public survey conducted by YouGov indicates a landslide victory for the Labour Party. After holding power in the UK Parliament for nearly 15 years, the Rishi Sunak-led Conservative Party expects a massive defeat against the Labour Party in the upcoming elections. It reflects the public's growing dissatisfaction with the UK's worsening condition - repeated policy failures, unfulfilled promises, and rising cost of living. As the country battles recession, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak risks losing his seat. A recent public survey conducted by YouGov, interviewing 18,761 British adults between March 7-27, indicates a landslide victory for the Labour Party.

Conservative Party Donor and MPs Awarded Honours

Businessman Mohamed Mansour, senior treasurer for the Conservative Party, receives a knighthood, along with MPs Mark Spencer and Philip Davies. Former ministers Tracey Crouch and Harriett Baldwin are also honoured. Labour criticises the decision, while Liberal Democrats accuse Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of being out of touch for awarding honours to party donors. Democratic Unionist Party MP Gregory Campbell is made a CBE. Mansour, who donated 5m to the Tories last year, is recognised for business, charity, and political service. The honours system is questioned amidst opposition calls to return Mansour's donation.

Laura Kuenssberg: Could 'green shoots' of recovery really save Rishi Sunak from calamity?

Click! That sound you hear is the core pieces of the election snapping into place. After this week, the questions our two big parties will separately pose are clear. I'm not sure that Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has much in common with a Hollywood star turned US presidential hopeful who, in the final week of the 1980 campaign, stared into the camera and said: "Ask yourself, are you better off than you were four years ago?" But the question Labour will now pose is very similar. It worked for Ronald Reagan - what will it do for Starmer? Separately, you might have thought Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's claim of a "new economic moment" sounded like the name of an obscure indie band. But with inflation slowing , and hopes of an interest rate cut soon , the Tories are warming up to asking: "Are you better off than you were a few months ago?" As the BBC's Faisal Islam has explained , statements from the PM, the Governor of the Bank of England and the shadow chancellor have created chatter about "green shoots of recovery".

National Health Service (England) (Wikipedia)

The National Health Service (NHS) is the publicly funded healthcare system in England, and one of the four National Health Service systems in the United Kingdom. It is the second largest single-payer healthcare system in the world after the Brazilian Sistema Único de Saúde. Primarily funded by the government from general taxation (plus a small amount from National Insurance contributions), and overseen by the Department of Health and Social Care, the NHS provides healthcare to all legal English residents and residents from other regions of the UK, with most services free at the point of use for most people. The NHS also conducts research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).Free healthcare at the point of use comes from the core principles at the founding of the National Health Service. The 1942 Beveridge cross-party report established the principles of the NHS which was implemented by the Labour government in 1948. Labour's Minister for Health Aneurin Bevan is popularly considered the NHS's founder, despite never formally being referred to as such. In practice, "free at the point of use" normally means that anyone legitimately and fully registered with the system (i.e. in possession of an NHS number), available to legal UK residents regardless of nationality (but not non-resident British citizens), can access the full breadth of critical and non-critical medical care, without payment except for some specific NHS services, for example eye tests, dental care, prescriptions and aspects of long-term care. These charges are usually lower than equivalent services provided by a private provider and many are free to vulnerable or low-income patients.The NHS provides the majority of healthcare in England, including primary care, in-patient care, long-term healthcare, ophthalmology and dentistry. The National Health Service Act 1946 came into effect on 5 July 1948. Private health care has continued parallel to the NHS, paid for largely by private insurance: it is used by about 8% of the population, generally as an add-on to NHS services.The NHS is largely funded from general taxation, with a small amount being contributed by National Insurance payments and from fees levied in accordance with recent changes in the Immigration Act 2014. The UK government department responsible for the NHS is the Department of Health and Social Care, headed by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. The Department of Health and Social Care had a £110 billion budget in 2013–14, most of this being spent on the NHS.

British Medical Association Calls for Ban on Physician Associates Giving Diagnoses for Patient Safety

The British Medical Association (BMA) has issued new guidance stating that medical associate professions (MAPs), including physician associates (PAs), should not be responsible for diagnosing patients without close supervision. This comes after high-profile mistakes, like the misdiagnosis leading to actress Emily Chesterton's death in 2022, where a PA assessed her instead of a GP. The BMA emphasizes the importance of clarifying the role and capabilities of MAPs to ensure patient safety and urges transparency in disclosing the clinician's qualifications to patients.

Conservative Turmoil Under Rishi Sunak Costs Taxpayers 8.2 Billion and Nearly a Year in Lost Time

Labour's calculations reveal that Conservative turmoil under Rishi Sunak has led to policy U-turns, ministerial reshuffles, wasted expenses like scrapped HS2 leg and VIP helicopter rides, costing the taxpayer 8.2 billion and nearly a year in lost time. Key examples include a 2.6 billion emergency cash payment for the Home Office, 1.4 billion spent on the now-scrapped northern leg of HS2, and the 4.1 billion bill faced by homeowners with fixed-rate mortgages ending soon. Labour's findings also include ministerial waste like a 40 million Ministry of Defence contract for VIP helicopter rides.

NHS England (Wikipedia)

NHS England, officially the NHS Commissioning Board, is an executive non-departmental public body of the Department of Health and Social Care. It oversees the budget, planning, delivery and day-to-day operation of the commissioning side of the National Health Service in England as set out in the Health and Social Care Act 2012. It directly commissions NHS general practitioners, dentists, optometrists and some specialist services. The Secretary of State publishes annually a document known as the NHS mandate which specifies the objectives which the Board should seek to achieve. National Health Service (Mandate Requirements) Regulations are published each year to give legal force to the mandate.In 2018 it was announced that the organisation, while maintaining its statutory independence, would be merged with NHS Improvement, and seven "single integrated regional teams" would be jointly established.

NHS app (Wikipedia)

The NHS App allows patients using the National Health Service in England to book appointments with their GP, order repeat prescriptions and access their GP record. Available since late 2018, the app was developed by NHS Digital and NHS England. The health ministers Jeremy Hunt and Matt Hancock both stressed their support for the project. Hancock presented it as the key a radical overhaul of NHS technology. Hunt claimed it would mark 'the death-knell of the 8am scramble for GP appointments that infuriates so many patients'.It can also be used to access NHS 111, set patients' data sharing preferences, record organ donation preferences and end-of-life care preferences. All GPs in England will be required to connect to it.

National Health Service (Wikipedia)

The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom, comprising the National Health Service in England, NHS Scotland and NHS Wales. Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland was created separately and is often locally referred to as "the NHS". The original three systems were established in 1948 (NHS Wales/GIG Cymru was founded in 1969) as part of major social reforms following the Second World War. The founding principles were that services should be comprehensive, universal and free at the point of delivery—a health service based on clinical need, not ability to pay. Each service provides a comprehensive range of health services, provided without charge for people ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom apart from dental treatment and optical care. In England, NHS patients have to pay prescription charges; some, such as those aged over 60, or those on certain state benefits, are exempt.Taken together, the four services in 2015–16 employed around 1.6 million people with a combined budget of £136.7 billion. In 2014, the total health sector workforce across the United Kingdom was 2,165,043 making it the fifth largest employer and largest non-military public organisation in the world.When purchasing consumables such as medications, the four healthcare services have significant market power that influences the global price, typically keeping prices lower. A small number of products are procured jointly through contracts shared between services. Several other countries either copy the United Kingdom's model or directly rely on Britain's assessments for their own decisions on state-financed drug reimbursements.

Chancellorship of Rishi Sunak (Wikipedia)

Rishi Sunak served as Chancellor of the Exchequer of the United Kingdom from his appointment on 13 February 2020 to his resignation on 5 July 2022. His tenure was dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, with Sunak becoming a prominent figure in the government's response to the pandemic, giving economic support to struggling businesses through various schemes. He was also involved in the government's response to the cost of living crisis, UK energy supply crisis, and global energy crisis.Sunak was appointed chancellor by prime minister Boris Johnson in the 2020 cabinet reshuffle, succeeding Sajid Javid, who had resigned as chancellor after refusing a demand from Johnson and his chief adviser Dominic Cummings that he dismiss his advisers. Sunak was prominent in the government's financial response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic impact, including the Coronavirus Job Retention furlough scheme for employees, and the Eat Out to Help Out scheme, although the latter of which contributed to a rise in COVID-19 infections. Controversies regarding COVID-19 contracts occurred during Sunak's chancellorship. In the Partygate scandal it was found that multiple parties had been held at 10 Downing Street during national COVID-19 lockdowns, and COVID-19 social distancing laws were breached by 83 individuals, including Sunak, who in April 2022 was issued with a fixed penalty notice.In May 2022, as the rising cost of living became an increasingly serious and worrying issue for the country, Sunak intensified the government's efforts to respond to the crisis, with a £5 billion windfall tax on energy companies to help fund a £15 billion support package for the public. Following the Chris Pincher scandal, Sunak resigned as chancellor on 5 July 2022, almost simultaneously with Javid's resignation as health secretary, and was the second of 62 Conservative MPs to resign during the government crisis which culminated in Johnson's own resignation. He was succeeded by Nadhim Zahawi. Three months after the end of his chancellorship, Sunak became prime minister following the resignation of Liz Truss in October 2022 amid another government crisis, having spent the duration of Truss's premiership on the backbenches.

World Medical Association (Wikipedia)

The World Medical Association (WMA) is an international and independent confederation of free professional medical associations representing physicians worldwide. WMA was formally established on September 18, 1947 and has grown to 116 national medical associations, as of 2022, with 1467 Associate Members, including Junior Doctors and medical students. and more than 10 million physicians. WMA is in official relations with the World Health Organization (WHO) and seeks close collaboration with the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to physical and mental health.

Conservative supporters of Israel urge David Cameron to lessen criticism and acknowledge defeat of Hamas as UK's interest

Conservative MPs pressure David Cameron to reduce his criticism of Israel and recognize the necessity of Hamas's defeat for the UK's strategic interest. Pro-Israel sentiment divides Tory party, with debates on loyalty influencing leadership discussions. Suella Braverman and Kemi Badenoch defend Israel, opposing Cameron's stance on aid distribution and potential arms export decisions. Labour's Keir Starmer advocates for transparency in publishing legal advice on Israel arms exports, amid concerns over civilian casualties in Gaza and potential breaches of international law.

The BMJ (Wikipedia)

The BMJ is a weekly peer-reviewed medical journal, published by BMJ Group, which in turn is wholly-owned by the British Medical Association (BMA). The BMJ has editorial freedom from the BMA. It is one of the world's oldest general medical journals. Previously called the British Medical Journal, the title was officially shortened to BMJ in 1988, and then changed to The BMJ in 2014. The journal is published by BMJ Publishing Group Ltd, a subsidiary of the British Medical Association (BMA). The current editor-in-chief of The BMJ is Kamran Abbasi, who was appointed in January 2022.