Dr Paul Miller, Chairman of the Central Consultants and Specialists Committee
Speech to ARM 2005
27 June 2005
This year, CCSC has done vital work and made considerable progress in crucial areas. We have forged good working relationships and common ground with many key groups. We have found ways to resolve differences between positions, without losing a working relationship.
Some would to be more openly hostile and critical of policies and politicians. But the best way to oppose something is to win the debate. To convince its advocates and the public that the policy isn’t working properly; was inadequately thought through; will have damaging consequences. Conversely, it is hard to change the minds of those who won’t meet you. We have been there all too recently and we prevailed, and we will again if necessary, but none of us should choose lightly to go back there.
Our new contract has been largely successfully implemented in Scotland, Wales and England. I thank all those involved, particularly all the IROs and other staff who have done the tremendous hard work accomplishing this. The biggest thanks of all goes to Martin Woodrow and his CCSC office team who get better year by year. It’s a continuing pleasure and education to be able to work with them.
I omitted Northern Ireland. Implementation there is a disaster because their health service, even going last, has utterly failed to learn the lessons of implementation elsewhere. They are two years behind schedule, and things are getting worse not better. This is unacceptable. Government must intervene immediately and ensure rapid resolution.
We have worked hard on pensions. Government must enter real discussions with us about this. I know that otherwise, many very senior consultants will resign from the NHS.
We now have a Secretary of State who says she wants to listen. It had to happen sooner or later. I warmly welcome this. She could reap rich rewards for patients. No-one understands hospital patient care better than us. It is we who develop, implement and spread new and improved methods of care for patients. Her time will be well spent.
Here are some questions to start the dialogue.
Is it fair to pay Treatment Centres more for doing the easiest cases?
How are NHS units to survive in a system which ties their arms behind their back?
How will we train the consultants of the future?
Has 20 years of denigrating doctors and giving power to managers achieved anything?
Why does record NHS funding coexist with panic bed closures and record hospital deficits?
Isn’t it time to put consultants back at the heart of planning and delivering patient services?
Is it better for consultants to compete for patients, or to collaborate over complex care?
Do you still believe in multidisciplinary care in cancer, psychiatry & elsewhere?
Can a competitive market be trusted to provide this?
Would patients prefer to sift marketing & publicity from competing providers or know that they can trust their local hospital?
Are hospitals like shoe shops?
How can you let hospitals close?
Should patient care be commoditised or personalised?
I believe we have answers to all these questions. We listen to patients almost every day, and patients know the answers too.
Hospitals don’t treat patients, doctors do. Work with us to develop future policy and we will deliver. We will take pride in our work, patients will take comfort, and you will take credit.
