Crispin Blunt

Conservative Party | Reigate

Government’s new selection system for doctors deeply flawed

Earlier this week national newspapers reported how the Government’s new selection system for doctors was deeply flawed. Six months ago Crispin Blunt having met with junior doctors at East Surrey Hospital warned the Department of Health that they had a problem. In a press release dated 13th October 2006 Crispin Blunt first raised the issue:

“Crispin Blunt MP today met with local junior doctors at East Surrey Hospital in Redhill to hear at first hand the difficulties they are facing in the current crisis in the NHS. He joined junior doctors to listen to Dr Andrew O’Brien, Chairman of the Thames Region of the BMA’s junior doctor committee make a presentation about the career crisis they face. Dr O’Brien explained that the Government having catastrophically mismanaged doctors’ and nurses’ pay and failing to link these with productivity were now desperately seeking to claw back resources by a fundamental reorganisation of doctors’ careers. He warned that the practical consequences of this would be visited on junior doctors and patients next year. Thousands of junior doctors faced arbitrary decisions that would limit their career prospects, with many not finding jobs at all. Incredibly the rushed introduction of this system would mean on current plans there will be no doctors on duty below consultant grade in every hospital in the country between 1st and 3rd August 2007 whilst they all attend induction courses.”

Speaking earlier today Crispin Blunt said:

”The Government can hardly claim they were not warned. Back in October, nearly six months ago, I issued a press release and tabled a parliamentary question to the Health Secretary, quite apart from the consistent warnings from the junior doctors' representatives of the BMA.  The Government did not act and now doctors face career chaos. The Government has been warned that patients will face disaster between the first and third of August, when all doctors below consultant grade will not be attending patients but attending induction courses on new jobs instead. The Government have so far ignored warnings on this as well."

Please find below a link to the news story and to the written parliamentary question:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/03/08/ndocs08.xml

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmhansrd/cm061023/text/61023w0038.htm#06102417001663

Crispin Blunt at East Surrey Hospital in October 2006.