8 - Police work
April 2008
(England, Wales & Scotland – category B fees)
These fees are agreed nationally by the BMA with the Employers Organisation for Local Government through the Joint Negotiating Committee for Forensic Physicians. They apply throughout Great Britain. Members in Northern Ireland should seek the advice of askBMA.
A new contract and fee structure for forensic physicians (formerly known as police surgeons) and doctors assisting the police came into effect on 1 July 1998. It was designed to meet concerns about the shortage of forensic physicians in certain areas and to develop a more highly skilled and committed workforce.
Despite these changes, police forces continued to have concerns at the rising cost of forensic physician services. Negotiations were therefore restarted with a view to establishing an agreement under which the costs were more predictable. This agreement (FME 5) was accepted by the Joint Negotiating Committee on 8 March 2001.
A further amended agreement (FME 10) on fees was accepted by the Joint Negotiating Committee on 11 August 2005. Under the terms of the agreement the fees could be backdated to 1 July 2005. National negotiations between the BMA’s Forensic Medicine Committee and employers’ representatives stalled temporarily in May 2005, and in some areas of the country agreements were reached locally. The negotiations were re-opened in June 2005 and significant progress was made leading to a fee settlement announced on 11 August. Mileage rates for doctors’ travel to and from work were amended to 48p per mile for retained and specialist forensic physicians.
The most recent settlement on fees was announced by the Joint Negotiating Committee on 6 March 2008. Under this agreement there was a 2 per cent uplift in fees from 1 April 2008, with a further 2 per cent uplift from 1 April 2009. The fees listed in this schedule are for the period 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009.
Under this agreement forces are asked to note that victims of crime should be sent to a forensic physician for the documentation of their injuries and not to a general practitioner.
Notes
- This fees schedule should be read in conjunction with the BMA guidance Fees for part-time medical services .
- The effective date is given above each set of fees.
- Members may obtain additional advice or clarification from askBMA .
- This guidance was prepared by the professional fees committee secretariat and produced by BMA Marketing & Publications.
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