We're inviting BMA members to come along to future Welsh council meetings, to get a flavour for the committee's work. The council is setting up a visitors’ scheme to give members more of an idea of how issues are debated and hopefully, to try and get more doctors involved in medico-political activities. Dates for the next couple are below.
March 11, May 18 and October 14.
For venues and more information, please contact Sarah Ellmes on (029) 2047 4604, email: sellmes@bma.org.uk.
Hope to see some of you reading this, at one of the meetings!
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11 hours ago
That's all well and good but what does the Council ACTUALLY do?
ReplyDeleteWhat has it done in the last year that has made a difference to the lives of Welsh patients?
Why should I, as a newly qualified doctor, give up my time (or is it the NHS' time?) to attend?
The Council of the BMA in Wales works all the time to improve the working lives of Doctors and patients here in Wales. Just a small list of the things we are currently working on are;
ReplyDelete1. The proposed NHS reorganisation – we have had several meetings, including our policy day to understand the concerns of doctors in Wales and how this potential reorganisation will affect patient services in the future. The work includes numerous meetings with Ministers, their advisors and civil servants from the Assembly
2. Revalidation and Re-licensing – we have worked closely with the GMC on how this might be implemented in Wales. Several meetings have looked at how this will be done with the various crafts within Wales, while the GP system is fairly well developed we are working towards a much more comprehensive and doctor friendly system for secondary care clinicians.
3. EWTD – this again is an important area that Council is looking at and advising on. We are holding a policy day in April looking at how this will be implemented in Wales and the needs of patients. This is a real area of concern to many within the NHS at the moment and the Council is in the middle of those trying to reduce the potential damaging affects of the Trusts lack of preparation for EWTD implementation.
4. Devolution - continues as a process. The WAG has recently undertaken a consultation on increasing powers within Wales. Many may not be aware of this consultation and what it means, but the BMA Wales Council is, and is responding.
5. A quick list of other areas Council has been working on are –
a. PFI
b. MMC in Wales
c. Referral Management
d. The role of CHCs in the new structure
e. The reorganisation of a National Public Health Service
f. The inclusion onto the specialist register
I cannot go into huge depth in each area here, but I hope that you can see that Council does a lot of work each day for both doctors and patients in Wales. Just because a person may be unaware of what is being done, does not mean “nothing” is being done. This is one reason for myself and Council wanting people to come and see what we do.
If you really feel the Council does nothing then come along, see what the agendas cover, see how decisions are made, and then see if you still feel the Council does “little”. The invitation is there.
Posted on behalf of Andrew Dearden,
Chairman of BMA Welsh Council