APPENDIX 5
Letter from the Rt Hon Frank Field MP
to the Chairman of the Committee (CC12)
I am writing to you with a short submission
to your inquiry on consultants' use of time.
Some time ago, following visits to local hospitals,
I began to realise that there are negative sides to the contract
that exists between consultants and the NHS.
The work of John Yates at Birmingham University—who
you will no doubt receive evidence from—showed that British
surgeons average 4.7 operations a week, 6-8 hours in theatre from
a 35 hour contracted week, and that ear, nose, and throat (ENT)
surgeons average 3.2 operations a week for what are relatively
simple procedures. One fifth of one sample John Yates looked at
undertook three operations or fewer. I have not seen any work
John has done recently—perhaps the Committee might like
to ask him how he thinks the situation has progressed with the
new Government.
To follow this issue up locally I asked the
chair of my local health trust to provide me with an audit on
the use of operating theatres in the NHS hospitals in her jurisdication.
The request was for information showing the times and purpose
of use for each theatre, and for information on which operations
were done by which doctors (this could of course be given anonymously).
Below is a chronology of my efforts to obtain this:
— 15 October 1999: I wrote to the chair
of the trust asking for an audit on the use of hospital theatres.
— 25 October 1999: The chair of the
trust wrote to me saying that records were kept in a computerised
format.
— 9 November 1999: I replied asking
to have information from those records.
— 29 November 1999: The chair replied
with some information, although not all I required.
— 6 January 2000: I replied asking
for information in full.
— 11 February: An inadequate reply
was sent to me.
— 23 February: I asked for a more satisfactory
reply.
— 28 March: I sent a reminder.
— 15 May: I sent another reminder.
An audit still hasn't arrived. Healthcare professionals
tell me that this information should be routinely available.
Perhaps the Committee might like to focus sharply
on both the collection and the release of information regarding
the use of consultants and theatres. Why shouldn't there be an
independent audit of these functions?
I hope this experience is of some use to your
inquiry and I look forward to reading your report.
22 May 2000
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