BMJ  2004;329:1343 (4 December), doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7478.1343

Letter

Reforming the consultant contract again?

Applied in partnership, the contract works for both consultants and patients

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR—Maynard and Bloor show no benefit of financial incentives, rather their limitations, divisions, and distortions, with regard to the consultant contract.¹ Most recent changes in health have not been driven by such incentives.

Overall, 85% of consultants have signed up to the new contract. Surveys show that a third are already seeing improvements. Monitoring will indicate where adjustments are needed, but there is no planned revision.

The contract gives transparency and ability to manage performance. Trusts that have negotiated job plans, including objectives and supporting resources, in partnership with consultants reflecting the number of programmed activities required will see this to the benefit of patients and consultants. To omit proper job planning misses a fundamental feature of the contract

There is little evidence of support for fee for service payments. Consultants realise the limitations, as shown by the refusal to bow to pressure from the last health secretary.

. . . [Full text of this article]

Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading RG1 5AN jonathan.fielden@rbbh-tr.nhs.uk

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    StumbleUpon    Technorati    What's this?

Relevant Articles

Should young people be given antidepressants? No

Sami Timimi
BMJ 2007 335: 751. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Study was not a trial of antidepressants

Jon N Jureidini
BMJ 2007 335: 221. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Reforming the consultant contract again?

Alan Maynard and Karen Bloor
BMJ 2004 329: 929-930. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Timimi, S. (2008). Child psychiatry and its relationship with the pharmaceutical industry: theoretical and practical issues. Adv. Psychiatr. Treat. 14: 3-9 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Timimi, S. (2007). Should young people be given antidepressants? No. BMJ 335: 751-751 [Full text]  
• Hodes, M., Garralda, E. (2007). NICE guidelines on depression in children and young people: not always following the evidence. Psychiatr. Bull. 31: 361-362 [Full text]  
• Jureidini, J. N (2007). Study was not a trial of antidepressants. BMJ 335: 221-221 [Full text]  

Online poll

Find out more on doc2doc >>