Doctors employed at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust have entered into a formal dispute with their employer over what they argue is a cut to their pay.
The doctors, who are members of the British Medical Association (BMA), have claimed that pay for some of their extra contractual work has been cut by up to 16%, which was announced on 4 November and took effect seven days later. They are also arguing that they are receiving lower rates than doctors at other trusts in the region.
From 1 December, doctors at the trust, which runs hospitals in Chelmsford, Southend-on-Sea and Basildon, have been advised to not work outside their contracted hours.
The BMA stated that it has urged the trust to reconsider this decision, and has called for it to withdraw the rates and negotiate with its local negotiating committees (LNCs).
Dr Fia Muratib, deputy chair of the BMA regional resident doctors committee, and LNC rep from one of the affected hospitals, said: “By lowering the rates for these shifts, the trust is gambling that doctors will do the same work for less. If they’re wrong, this will lead to understaffed wards, burned out doctors, and increased risk to patient safety. We urge the trust to withdraw [its] reduced rates as a matter of urgency and to enter into negotiations with [its] LNC.”
Christine Blanshard, chief medical officer at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, added: “It is absolutely right that a trust should regularly review the rates that it pays to ensure it is benchmarking itself against similar organisations and that it is spending public money responsibly. We have committed to doing that on an annual basis.
“The safety of our patients is always our top priority, which is why we must spend the money we have available to us in an efficient and responsible way to ensure the highest possible standards of care across all our services and departments. We have continued to have an open dialogue with our medical staff and are committed to working together for the good of our patients.”
