Dangerous ‘downskilling’ in NHS puts patients in danger and has already led to two avoidable deaths, say experts
Merseyside supporters of the NHS gathered on Monday outside both the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) and the city’s Royal Hospital to protest against the government’s backdoor manoeuvres to replace fully-trained doctors with ‘associates’ who don’t have medical training, to pad NHS numbers, so the government can claim it is improving NHS staffing – and make it more profitable for private health companies.
The measure was sneaked through on Tuesday, with the government using ‘secondary legislation’ in an obscure meeting room to avoid proper scrutiny in the Commons chamber. The British Medical Association, the Doctors’ Association, the Royal College of Anaesthetists and NHS campaign groups have all condemned the move, but Keir Starmer decided that Labour would not oppose it.
The group of demonstrators gathered at the RCP’s Liverpool office before moving to the hospital. A spokesperson told Skwawkbox:
We had a good morning protesting on behalf of MPA (Mersey Pensioners Association) outside the Royal College of Physicians where their North of England offices are located at The Spine, 2 Grove Street, Liverpool. As a consequence of our protest, a member of staff from the RCP came out to enquire why we were there. She advised us that the leadership of the RCP remains in London and the Liverpool office is for admin of teaching and education.
She informed us we were protesting on private property but then confirmed it was council-owned.
We explained we were registering the opposition of MPA members to the replacement of doctors (and other medical professionals) with non-qualified cheaper staff in order to increase profits for providers. That it has nothing to do with a shortage of doctors, midwives, nurses etc and is dangerous for patients and staff. That people have already died through misdiagnosis by ‘Physician Associates’ (PAs).
She went back inside and returned some time later with a young man who said his job was “safety”. She asked how long we were staying. She commented on how cold and windy it was. She informed us there was a problem with the windows in the building.
We received support from workers entering the building.
After an hour or so we decided to move to the big road junction at Low Hill? Where the Royal, Novotel Hotel etc are located as we thought our protest would be seen more easily by the public/passing traffic and staff going to the various hospitals in the vicinity. We received support from passing motorists in cars, lorries, buses, vans etc beeping their horns. Pedestrians expressed support including passing Junior Doctors and patients.
There is a consultation going on at the moment about PAs and Greg Dropkin from our group has submitted a response. Particularly interesting is the bands and lack of supervision in the clinical area.
The consultation response reads:
Physician Associates.
Dear BoardI would like to speak to this question at the Board meeting this Thurs 25 January.
The Framework for Medical Associate Professions (MAPs) is currently under consultation. MAPs are not doctors and will have only two years medical training. The consultation does not mention direct supervision by doctors.
Instead, Tier 1 will “make use of a clinical supervisor and clinical supervisory sessions”, Tier 2 will “make clinical decisions with supervision” and supervise other MAPs. Tier 3 will “manage care at the highest level with indirect supervision” and will have “Practice
Supervisor/Assessor status”. Tier 4 is unsupervised and will “transform the way care is developed and delivered”.Question: Will this Framework, as per the Consultation, guarantee patient safety in Cheshire & Merseyside?
a) If so, why?
b) If not, how will you highlight your concerns?
c) Will you audit the actual level of supervision for existing MAPs
within Cheshire & Merseyside?
Despite the opposition to the move of those who know best – ninety percent of doctors believe it is dangerous to patients according to a recent BMA survey – only one MP, independent Claudia Webbe, spoke out against the changes during the meeting room debate on the secondary legislation:
At least two patients have died after misdiagnosis by Physician Associates of serious conditions. 30yo Emily Chesterton was treated for a calf sprain but should, according to the coroner, have been immediately sent for emergency treatment for an embolism; Ben Peters, 25, died after being sent home when an acute heart issue was dismissed as a panic attack.
The government’s plan is the latest step in the downskilling and rationing of NHS care under its ‘integrated care’ plan – another name for the disastrous US ‘accountable care’, in which health providers are incentivised for cutting spending by not providing care and receive a share of the savings.
SKWAWKBOX needs your help. The site is provided free of charge but depends on the support of its readers to be viable. If you’d like to help it keep revealing the news as it is and not what the Establishment wants you to hear – and can afford to without hardship – please click here to arrange a one-off or modest monthly donation via PayPal or here to set up a monthly donation via GoCardless (SKWAWKBOX will contact you to confirm the GoCardless amount). Thanks for your solidarity so SKWAWKBOX can keep doing its job.
If you wish to republish this post for non-commercial use, you are welcome to do so – see here for more.
Where were the so-called socialist labour MPs defying smarmer?
Whole PLP’s full of shit.
Yes, the one MP who has actively opposed the sneaky ‘secondary legislation’ is Claudia Webbe – and she’s an Independent. Keir Starmer. instructed Labour MPs to NOT oppose it. So keen to obey him, most have not even admitted its existence as a threat to healthcare and the NHS.
Labour HAS ALREADY publicly adopted “Integrated Health Care” as party policy. See page 7 of Labour’s 10-year plan for health and care
Maybe download the policyforum document quickly. It’s likely to be removed by a Wes Streeting apparatchik once they realise that it is a ‘in plain sight’ admission that Starmer’s Labour party has been taken over by Globo-corporatists and that it might cost them considerable electoral support at GE24.