I’ve always liked the phrase ‘hoist by one’s own petard’. Petards were an early bomb, used from around the sixteenth century to blow breaches in gates or walls. And, as you’ll know, it means to be injured by a device you’ve set up that was intended to injure others.
I can’t help but feel it’s applicable to the following story. You might remember earlier this year the Daily Mail going to town on GP salaries. After a series of freedom of information requests it suggested that some GPs were earning huge salaries (up to £380,000 per year) and were being incredibly well paid for providing out-of-hours services (up to £200 per hour).
Surely this couldn’t be true, many of us thought. Someone must defend our maligned GPs and prove to the public what a load of rubbish this is! Up stepped the BMA, and trundled out a complaint to the Press Complaints Commission. Phew…
The complaint, from Dr Laurence Buckman and Dr Nicholas Down, that the article on GPs’ incomes was inaccurate and misleading has just been resolved. The newspaper published an agreed letter from the complainants, the text of which was as follows:
“Your article (4 August) stated that GPs were ‘earning up to £380,000 a year’ and added that they are earning £200 an hour for work ‘they used to do for free’.
“While there is a single GP in North East Essex with a pensionable income amounting to this figure, this is an extreme case and the vast majority of GPs do not earn anywhere near this figure.
“In addition, GPs used to be paid night visit fees under the terms of the Old Contract so these services were never provided for free. That system left many GPs exhausted because they would be seeing patients literally day and night. Under the new contract many GPs do shifts for so-called ‘out-of-hours’ organisations which means they can plan their working hours so that patients aren’t being treated by dangerously over-tired doctors.”
Oh dear. Is it me, or does the letter feel more damning than the original story? So, A. there clearly is a GP earning £380k (380,000 ENGLISH POUNDS!) and B. rates clearly do range up to £200 per hour for out-of-hours work.
I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again: those BMA negotiators on the GP contract were good! But the petard was always going to explode early…
At least the Daily Mail has moved on to some more palatable public sector stooges - for now.
Tags: GPs, Media coverage, Pay
