The WCC (Welsh consultants committee) is a standing committee of the BMA and represents all consultants working in Wales.
We lobby the Welsh Government and keep the UK CC (consultants committee) informed on developments in health, care and the hospital service in Wales. We also collaborate and coordinate with UKCC on UK matters.
Our priorities
Post COVID working in secondary care
Extension to the Advisory Pay Notice
WCC believe that an extension of the agreement would allow individuals to easily agree to work outside their personal contractual arrangements in order to support NHS recovery and deal with the backlog of patients needing to be seen.
Recycling of employers pension contribution
WCC think that many consultants would take on additional sessions if they were able to opt-in and out of the NHS pension scheme at various times each year, in line with general practitioners. Employers’ contribution paid directly to the individual would offer a cost-neutral way of retaining consultants' experience and expertise in the workforce, and it would help work through the huge backlog of work as a consequence of the COVID pandemic.
Raising the profile of secondary care in Wales
We have negotiated new annual recruitment and retention payments for those joining, or already on, the first part of the consultant pay scale from 1 April 2020 in Wales.
These payments are non-consolidated and non-pensionable, but we hope that they will prove a small incentive to attract and retain new consultants, alleviating the pressure on the wider consultant workforce across Wales.
Representing consultants interests at MDBG
The MDBG (Medical and Dental Business Group) was set up in order to work in social partnership through the principles of a substantial and sustained commitment by employers, staff side and Welsh Government to seek genuine consensus on issues that affect employer/employee relationships. The role of the MDBG is to advise the Minister accordingly on such matters.
Our people
Chair: Dr Phil Banfield
Deputy chair: Dr Everard Bennett
Voting deputy representative
Dr Marysia Teresa Joanna Hamilton-Kirkwood
Voting members
Dr Manish Adke
Dr Sankaranarayanan Ananth
Dr Sameh Samir Aziz Bekhit
Dr Everard Patrick Talbot Bennett
Dr Robert Edward Bleehen
Miss Donna Marie Egbeare
Dr Anand Ganesan
Dr Alok Gaurav
Dr Vivek Goel
Mr Simon Charles Hodder
Dr Stephen Kelly
Dr Nicky Catrin Leopold
Dr Conor Niall Marnane
Mr Hemang Biharilal Mehta
Mr Ravindra Nannapaneni
Dr Graham O'Connor
Dr Emmanuel Thomas Kofi Odei Obuobie
Dr Nicola Jane Frances Pease
Dr Trevor Pickersgill
Dr S Poulter
Dr David Samuel
Dr Ajay Somdutt Sharma
Dr Paul Martyn Underwood
Observers
Dr David Bailey
Dr Sharon Blackford
Dr Iona Elizabeth Collins
Mr Chris Greenall
Dr Julia Kramer
Dr Tom Lawson
Dr Kinnari Hemang Mehta
Mr Amol Pandit
Dr Michael Thomas
Our meetings
The WCC meets four times a year to discuss the latest issues affecting consultants in Wales.
Meetings are open to members of the WCC only, but non-members can apply for the BMA committee visitors scheme. Travel expenses to and from meetings can be claimed.
Meeting dates:
- Tuesday 5 October 2021 (virtual)
- Tuesday 7 December 2021 (virtual)
- Wednesday 9 February 2022 (TBC)
- Thursday 26 May 2022 (TBC)
All meetings take place from 10.30am to 3pm either virtually or at:
BMA Cymru Wales
5th Floor
2 Caspian Point
Cardiff Bay
Cardiff
How to join WCC
There are many advantages to becoming involved in our committees. You can actively influence BMA policy-making and negotiations, represent your colleagues' voices and develop your leadership skills.
Each committee has a few routes to becoming an elected member. In the case of WCC UK, this is:
- Seats/term - every three years, health boards and Trusts in Wales elect 30 representatives for a three-session term. Seats are distributed evenly between boards based on the number of consultants employed in the board area.
Health board/Trusts seats distribution:
- Swansea Bay University health board - 5 seats
- Cwm Taf Morgannwg University health board - 4 seats
- Cardiff and Vale University health board - 6 seats
- Aneurin Bevan University health board - 4 seats
- Hywel Dda health board - 3 seats
- Betsi Cadwaladr University health board - 6 seats
- Velindre NHS Trust - 1 seat
- Powys Health Board - 1 seat.
- Timeline - elections are usually held in May or June.
- Eligibility - all consultants who are BMA members are eligible to stand and vote if they work in the relevant health boards/Trusts.
Get in touch
If you are interested in finding out more about the work of the WCC, please email us or call 02920 474604.