A reminder tonight, on my weekend on call, that COVID hasn’t gone away and that the effects of the pandemic will be with us for a long time yet.
Philip Banfield 💙
7,544 posts
Philip Banfield 💙
@DrPhilBanfield
Obstetrician, Honorary Prof, idealist. Living my dream. Past Chair of BMA Welsh & UK Councils. Tweeting in a personal capacity. RT doesn’t imply endorsement.
Wales
Joined July 2012
- I C that @SteveBarclay has told R4 today programme he is meeting with doctors later today. Actually he cancelled the 9am meeting we had all rearranged our commitments 4 so he could do media and a further meeting is not yet agreed. Hopefully it will be soon @TheBMA.
- Junior doctor strike: Union's pay demands 'unrealistic', says Steve Barclay - BBC News. I note MP pay up over 30% & >£20k since 2008. Reality: this is a political choice to not pay for doctors. @SteveBarclay blocking talks, not @TheBMA.
- NHS staff cried in safety interviews, says watchdog - BBC News. This is the reality faced by NHS staff desperately trying to give care against appalling odds day in, day out, for years. NOW. Not a strike day, EVERYDAY! Get a grip @10DowningStreet.
- I’m married 2 a GP partner. I KNOW that she’s more skilled at almost the whole of medicine than I am. She gets a few minutes 2 decide whether someone’s ill, how ill & what 2 do next without wasting resources & access 2 all the stuff I have. That’s risk management & value 4 money!I feel the GPs don't get due respect by the general public or even hospital doctors. None of the hospital doctors have that kind of wide knowledge to diagnose & manage multiple health conditions long term in a setting with limited time & resources.
- So are @TheBMA et al still over-reacting? We will continue to expose & fill the void in patient safety. & we’re told there’s no hidden agenda? It’s not only plain to see, but plastered all over walls. Doctor substitution is dangerous. Just who IS in control of the NHS in England?I’m simply horrified to see @NHSEngland now literally breaking the law in how it misrepresents physician associates & other allied health professional - who are NOT doctors - to the public. These posters are from the Bradford District & Craven Health & Care Partnership. 1/n
- Barclay: I’m fighting doctors’ pay demands for the sake of NHS staff: Health Service Journal. Very easy this one. Doctors are fighting government for our patients; those who need the NHS to have doctors’ skills & expertise. You need pilots to fly planes.
- Specialist at what @StGeorgesUni? Disappointing to call out my old university but this mis-selling of PA courses is at the heart of the matter? Train doctors’ assistants please. Teach medical students to be doctors. PAs who want to do medicine, you are welcome at medical school.
- COVID hasn’t gone away. Almost 250,000 died in the UK, perhaps 10x more had / have long COVID. Too many lasting scars; grief, anger & determination to learn not forget. A privilege to walk with bereaved families. It cannot be right that we STILL fail to protect staff & patients?Today across the UK we come together to honour the memories of colleagues, friends & loved ones who tragically lost their lives during the pandemic. And we must never forget those who continue to be affected, including many doctors living with the devastating impact of long
- When will @10DowningStreet acknowledge the evidence? The NHS IS in crisis and it’s happened through a sustained managed decline. It is simply not true that our rich country can’t afford an NHS. It can’t afford NOT to.
- Matt Hancock & Kwasi Kwarteng discussed fees with fake firm - BBC News. The central tenet that £10,000 / day doesn’t seem in dispute as a ‘reasonable’ fee shows a parallel universe inhabited by those making public policy. Pay restoration is fair & just.
- If £100k is not a huge salary in Surrey @Jeremy_Hunt @10DowningStreet, then £20/hr across the U.K. is stunningly excellent value for the expertise & securing of newly qualified @BMA_JuniorDocs surely? This is your decision; your block & obstacle to remove; your choice.☎️Constituency Calls ☎️ My first call was to Rosemary French, President of the Cranleigh Chamber of Commerce to talk about the planned changes to the High Street. She talked to me about the problems of the pavements not being wide enough, the huge success of street markets and
- Misdiagnosis: Bereaved mum calls for physician associate role clarity: BBC News For clarity: Physicians Associates & Anaesthetic Associates are NOT doctors. Neither has a medical degree or is in a regulated profession. Both are paid more than many doctors.
- My message to doctors. “You are not mediocre. You are not expensive for the expertise and skills you provide. You deserve better. Our patients deserve better”.
