A sustained attack on consultants’ distinction awards in Scotland has been dismissed as ill informed by doctors’ leaders.
Doctors’ representatives in England say they have no fears that the government would attempt to abolish the Clinical Excellence Awards, negotiated as part of consultants’ remuneration.
In Scotland, Dr Ian Mckee a Scottish National Party MSP and a former GP, has called for reform of the Scottish system of distinction awards for senior doctors.
He has questioned the need for the Scottish SNP Government to set aside £30 million for next year’s awards. “If consultants are getting the equivalent of a junior government minister’s salary on top of their own salary this latest round of awards does look bit off,” he said.
He has called for the awards to be frozen in the short term. Other politicians have called for the system to be scrapped.
Stephen Campion, chief executive of the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association, said: “It is a very real worry that ill informed speculation and comment will be made on anything that could remotely be seen to be a bonus because that is the political and economic climate that we are currently working in.
“But the important thing to understand is that CEAs are not a bonus. A bonus is based on profit share while the CEAs are paid to recognise the work such as teaching and research that consultants do which is of added value and benefit to the NHS.”
For 2009/10, a level one CEA was worth £2,957 while the highest level 12 (or platinum) award was £75,796.
Paul Flynn, deputy chairman of the BMA’s consultants committee, said: “At the moment both ourselves and the Department of Health through the Advisory Committee on Clinical Excellence Awards recognise that CEAs reward excellence among consultants.
“The scheme is part and parcel of consultants’ remuneration and if the government wanted to change that we would expect them to open negotiations with us. I don’t believe the system in England is under threat.”
A Scottish government spokesman said that in evidence to the pay review body this year they had recommended a pay freeze for consultants and no uplift to the amount payable as individual distinction awards.
A spokesman for the BMA in Scotland said: “Scotland needs to retain the distinction awards system in order to encourage innovation and to prevent consultants from leaving to work south of the border where they can traditionally earn more.”
Read more on Clinical Excellence Awards.
I suspect that the BMA spokesman himself is a recipient or aspires to be one as I find his arguments in favour contrived.
I am not convinced that the NHS encourages innovation. The increasing predominance of guidelines, protocols, trust formularies, treatment pathways etc means that the clinical autonomy of Consultants, a prerequisite for innovation, is gradually being eroded.
My experience as a grass roots consultant is that there is much cynicism among my colleagues about distinction awards and many refuse to apply on principle. To quote one deserving colleague, “I would rather have people express puzzlement that I do not receive one that outrage that I do”
Further, people choose their place of work for many reasons other than money, and increased income in England is offset by increased cost of living, a point obviously appreciated by the majority of awardless but settled Consultants in Scotland.