Surgeons defend time spent on private work
Row is growing over NHS hospital contracts, reports Glenda Cooper
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Your support makes all the difference.The row over consultants' hospital contracts escalated yesterday after claims by Dr John Yates, a former adviser to the Department of Health, that treatment of National Health Service patients was suffering because of the amount of time doctors sp ent onprivate work.
After a nationwide survey of orthopaedic and ophthalmology surgeons and a study of cardiac surgeons in London, Dr Yates, of the University of Birmingham, alleged last night in a Channel 4 Dispatches programme that private-sector work was causing NHS waiting lists to grow. But yesterday doctors defended themselves. Richard Rawlins, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Bedford Hospital, said that the treatment he gave his NHS patients was not affected by his one day a week of private work.
Mr Rawlins is a "maximum part-time" surgeon, contracted to the NHS for 35 hours a week. He sees private patients on Thursdays. But he says that his commitment to the NHS is more like seven days a week than four: "I am meant to work 35 hours but I'm on call and have a continuing commitment to patients . . . I'm even available if I'm on holiday."
He said the NHS did not stipulate that consultants spend one half-day session a week on private work: "Most of us are on a basic NHS contract which doesn't identify any time for private practice. It identifies time with the NHS - 10 out of 11 notional half days of 3.5 hours each. Some are fixed sessions with theatre staff, the other time is worked flexibly.
"The majority of consultants at our hospital do 14 hours more than they are contracted to do, and are happy to do it. My colleagues add up all these hours and some take time during the day to go to private patients."
His response to Dr Yates's claim that nearly 60 per cent spend two or more half-day sessions seeing private patients was: "If there is a serious suggestion that people are not fulfilling their duties then he should give evidence to their local health-service managers."
Mr Rawlins said a problem at many hospitals was that even if surgeons were available all day there were not the resources to operate.
"At Bedford the theatres are fully booked all the time and the purchasers can't purchase any more work. A colleague of mine used to regularly operate until 7pm but has been told he has to finish at 5pm because they can't afford the nurses," he said.
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