Locums accused of holding NHS to ransom over pay
Watchdog says medical staff seeking major pay rises are acting in way that should see them struck off
LOCUM doctors have been accused of running a “campaign” to hold the NHS to ransom after dozens demanded pay increases of up to 50 per cent. NHS watchdogs said that medics employed via agencies were threatening to refuse to work, leaving dangerous gaps in rotas as the Easter holiday approaches.
Jim Mackey, the chief executive of NHS Improvement, said some doctors were colluding to try to boost their pay in ways that ought to see them struck off.
In Blackpool, hospital bosses pleaded with consultants to step in after 14 locum doctors rejected their shifts at late notice. In the South West, hospital managers were told that three locums were saying they would only fill shifts if rates were boosted by 56 per cent.
One finance director likened it to a “Mexican standoff ”, with new tax rules being introduced just as the NHS prepares for a surge in pressures over the four-day Easter weekend.
The HM Revenue and Customs IR35 regulations mean trusts must subtract tax and national insurance from workers’ pay packets at source, instead of using personal service companies, used by some to minimise tax. Some workers could lose more than 20 per cent of their take-home pay as a result of the changes, which came in this week.
NHS finance directors said that some doctors were attempting to negotiate pay increases far beyond what they might lose from the tax changes - and threatening to immediately withdraw their labour.
Mr Mackey told Health Service Journal: “We are trying to hold our nerve and not blink, but safety will drive the decisions. Behaviour reported by trusts in recent days suggested a number of medics were working together, to collectively withdraw labour in an effective ‘strike’.”
He added: “I don’t know how they’re on the register as doctors.”
Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, said: “A number of our members have reported that some contractors are seeking to put pressure on them to pay more or interpret the rules more generously than they should be.
“This is a concern as every trust wants to guarantee safe care at a time of workforce shortages.” The watchdog has been attempting to clamp down on rates of agency pay, introducing a cap on pay after spending on locums rose from £1.8 billion to £3.3 billion in three years.
Online pharmacies are putting patients at risk by doling out drugs after assessments lasting just 17 seconds, watchdogs have warned. The Care Quality Commmission (CQC) has suspended one website, Doctor Matt Ltd, and told three more to take steps to protect patients.