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Health Service Forum South East
Minutes of a regular meeting of the Health Service Forum S.E held in the Larkfield Centre on Tuesday
14 November 2006 at 7.30 p.m.
Contents
BMA Paper on Modernising Medical Careers
Scottish Health Campaigns Network
Welcome
Welcome Margaret Hinds welcomed everyone to the meeting.
Apologies
Apologies: Elizabeth Bashir, Rhoda Ritchie, Aileen Fyfe, Douglas McGregor, Irene Addie
Minutes
Minutes of 10 October were adopted as correct.
Matter arising
Matter arising. It was decided that the Forum would invite Chris Drapper the new Transport Projects Manager to address a meeting of the Health Forum.
Correspondence
Correspondence; a) No reply to letter sent to Alex McIntyre ACAD Project manager raising safety issues in the ACAD re heating/cooling system and fire alarm system. b) No reply to letter to Robert Calderwood asking for the costs of meeting targets set by the Scottish Executive. c) Letter sent to Keri Stewart of SPT requesting a copy of the traffic survey re the SGH.
Treasurer’s report
Treasurer’s report. Dan Macphail reported a balance in the bank of £2491.78. It was agreed that the Forum would meet the cost of new telephones for Margaret Hinds.
BMA Paper on Modernising Medical Careers
Issues October BMA Paper on Modernising Medical Careers states;
Why do we need MMC?
1. More healthcare provided by trained doctors than by doctors in training. It is believed that the public is more reassured by the knowledge that they are being treated by trained and experienced specialists.
2. To reduce the average length of postgraduate training from 12 to 7 years for consultants and increase the number of consultants. There are currently nearly 300 consultant vacancies in NHS Scotland, more than half of which have been vacant for 6 months. The Medical Royal Colleges recently announced that Scotland needs an increase of 70% in consultants, partly because the implementation of the European Working Time Directives for junior doctors means that working hours will reduce on a phased basis from 56 at present to 48 hours in 2009.
3) To give junior doctors exposure to general practice during their training. Scotland has a shortage of GPs. The Royal College of General Practitioners (Scotland) estimates that Scotland will require an additional 750 GPs by 2012. One way to address this is by giving more junior doctors exposure to general practice during their training.
4) Doctors will be assessed in their core competencies. MMC changes the assessment of doctors in training to a competency based and hospital based assessment, against a set of common standards with less emphasis on written examinations. There will also be more emphasis on non-clinical skills such as listening, communication and team working.
South Monitoring Group
South Monitoring Group We still feel that a joint monitoring group covering both Stobhill and the Victoria would be much more sensible than the present arrangement. Why this cannot be agreed we find quite inexplicable as we no longer have Trusts, we have one Health Board for the city, and any change to services affects the entire city. This becomes more important as patients decide to make more informed choices as to which hospital, consultant or doctor to choose. When an MSP cannot attend there is no substitute member sent in his or her place. Surely it is vital that elected representatives should make Monitoring Group meetings a priority as they do in the North Monitoring Group?
The Scottish Executive has set up a hit squad for cancer treatment to make sure that Boards are performing in the way they should be doing. Headed by senior clinicians the teams have met health chiefs in each area agreeing a detailed action plan to be set in motion in order to ensure better performance.
Rehabilitation beds
Rehabilitation beds: The question of whether the new ACAD is a suitable place for rehabilitating 48 elderly patients was raised. The ACAD will be extremely busy throughout the day for five days a week and possibly the opening hours will be extended. Lack of parking for visitors will also impact on the well being of these vulnerable people.
Scottish Health Campaigns Network
Margaret Hinds and Alastair Glen were part of the Scottish Health Campaigns Network that met with Andy Kerr Health Minister on the 20 November. The following statements were presented at the meeting;
Changes in patient care
In November 2003 Dr Colin Hunter, the National Co-ordinator for Primary Care at NHS Education Scotland, spoke to the Forum about GP training and workforce planning. In March 2006 Professor T. Stuart Murray, Dean of Postgraduate Medicine, also spoke to us on this subject. They both gave assurances that the forward planning was on target to meet patient needs.
In September 2006 the Chairman of the BMA (Scotland) was reported in the press saying-
“We are not going to have enough GPs in the next five years.”
This statement was endorsed by a BMA statement issued in October 2006 on Modernising Medical Careers. To quote-“An additional 750 GPs will be needed by 2012”. “One way of addressing the problem is by giving junior doctors exposure to general practice during training.”
Adding to this confusion, it would appear that the patient will be faced with a complex and bewildering choice of health professionals at his local health clinic.
When a patient phones for an appointment will the receptionist decide the appropriate level of care professional to deal with his illness? What will he be offered- the nurse practitioner? the physician assistant? the practice nurse? the junior trainee GP? Or the GP? Or perhaps he should go straight to his local pharmacist? Or phone NHS24? Or should he just take his problem to GOOGLE? Is this the end of the GP service, as we know it?
In an emergency situation does the patient have to self-diagnose and decide whether to attend a MIU at the ACAD or take himself to one of the only two A&Es remaining in Glasgow?
Are we facing a melt down of our Health Service with the introduction of Physician Assistants, Anaesthetist Assistants, ACADs replacing hospitals, Nurse led Minor Injury Units replacing A&Es? parts of our hospitals handed over to private foreign business enterprise?
Can we be assured that NHS Scotland will get value for money from these companies? Will the private contractor be paid a lump sum irrespective of the number of procedures carried out?
Is the South African involvement in Stracathro the thin edge of the wedge in the privatisation of the NHS?
The Forum meeting for the evening of 12 December has been altered to an earlier time.
DATE OF NEXT MEETING TUESDAY 12 DECEMBER AT 10.30 a.m.
IN THE LARKFIELD CENTRE
