December 9, 2010 10.05 am This story is over 164 months old

Doctors receive recognition in journal

Medical journal: Two hospital doctors will be featuring in a publication after their work with patients.

Two doctors from the Lincoln County Hospital will be featured in a medical journal, to be released December 9.

Dr David Flynn, an emergency medicine consultant and Dr Paul Tesha, an ophthalmologist consultant, both had research placed in BMA’s Quality Time.

The publication highlights the importance of senior doctors’ Supporting Professional Activities (SPAs), time for work like development of services, research, safety audits and training.

Twenty-one consultants are featured, all of which used their SPA time for initiatives that improved patient’s care, saving NHS money.

Dr Flynn used his SPA time setting up systems and protocol to help the hospital deal with swine flu.

Meanwhile Dr Tesha is featured for his work improving care for those coping with visual loss, reducing waiting times from three hours to 45 minutes.

Chairman of the BMA’s Consultants Committee Dr Mark Porter (pictured) said: “The work of Dr Flynn and Dr Tesha shows the enormous difference consultants can make to patients and the health service.

“However, the national picture is less positive.”

Despite their achievement, both doctors added that they would have not managed without their SPA time, which is currently undergoing national cuts.

NHS contracts state 10 hours of a doctors working week should be on SPA developments, but 21% of consultants surveyed by BMA said it had been reduced.

Dr Porter said in Quality Time’s foreword this is potentially disastrous for the NHS.

“NHS organisations, increasingly squeezed financially and having to achieve more with less, are trying to reduce consultants’ Supporting Professional Activities in a search for ‘efficiency’.

“At its worst this can lead to pressure to treat patients as units of production rather than as individuals engaged in a difficult journey at a testing time.

“Preventing consultants from spending time on anything other than direct clinical care would represent a betrayal of what patients deserve from the NHS.

“Patients value quality of care very highly, and expect it to be delivered in all NHS organisations.”

You can read Quality Time on BMA’s website [PDF]

Source, Photo: BMA