Prof Gillian Needham at the Witching Hour

Management Skills under the Microscope

Despite the flu and a high fever, I have been contemplating the issues related to our Scottish Witch. I found this document rather more interesting - a document presented to the Scottish Parliament. Gillian tells us

"I wish to give a personal perspective based on my background as a radiologist working in NHSiS since 1987, a Postgraduate Dean working with now NHS Education for Scotland (NES) since 1999, Chair of the short life Scottish Integrated Workforce Planning Group and a co-author of Planning Together (SEHD, 2000) and most recently member of the National Workforce Committee. Based in Aberdeen, North Scotland Region, I also currently act as interim Regional Workforce Champion and will not cover issues which Dr Annie Ingram has addressed in her response to the Committee of 31 May 2004, made on behalf of the North of Scotland Regional Workforce Group"

As regional workforce champion, we assume her primary role is to oust junior doctors from their job.

"The ethics of international (trained and graduate) recruitment is a concern, where NHSiS looks to fill staffing gaps. Whilst we proportionately provide more graduate doctors as a nation than the rest of the UK, we appear to ‘leak’ to the rest of the UK and internationally"

Thats because Gillian gets rid of British graduates through illegal suspensions.

"Dr Ingram’s paper addresses this, but we need to revisit NHSiS’s values and how we demonstrably value staff, we need to challenge some basic assumptions around our qualities as an employer"

"In the past they have been victim to criticism from all quarters if the demand/supply balance is wrong. In fact this has often reflected a disconnection between the service and its direction or planning, rather than a lack of education planning"

Yes, and that criticism is happening again Gillian. Dr Elizabeth Miller makes some valid points.

"Doctors are being intimidated. This case is a warning to any young doctor speaking out against the medical authorities. He might have made some rash comments. But, fearing that he is the tip of the iceberg, Needham, Paice and Black have cut him off at the knees. Be warned! You cannot cut the tip off an iceberg"

There are no public opinions in favour of Needham's actions.

I wrote the complaint to the General Medical Council but perhaps I should have added the Management Guidance at the GMC.

Management at the GMC is defined as follows

"Getting things done well through and with people, creating an environment in which people can perform as individuals and yet co-operate towards achieving group goals, and removing obstacles to such performance"

The Guidance goes on

8. The Committee on Standards in Public Life ⁵(the Nolan Committee) set out seven principles for the conduct of holders of public office. The principles have been widely accepted as applicable in areas far wider than those for which they were initially drawn up, and they offer a useful set of principles for doctors who manage.

9. The seven principles are:

• selflessness
• integrity
• objectivity
• accountability
• openness
• honesty
• leadership.

:) Gillian knows about the NHS Code of Conduct for Managers . It is downloadable here. This is what the Code says [2]

"I will respect and treat with dignity and fairness, the public, patients, relatives, carers, NHS staff and partners in other agencies. In my capacity as a senior manager within the NHS I will seek to ensure that no one is unlawfully discriminated against because of their religion, belief, race, colour, gender, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, age, social and economic status or national origin"

NHS staff are:

– valued as colleagues;
– properly informed about the management of the NHS;
– given appropriate opportunities to take part in decisionmaking.
– given all reasonable protection from harassment and bullying;
– provided with a safe working environment;
– helped to maintain and improve their knowledge and skills
and achieve their potential; and
– helped to achieve a reasonable balance between their working
and personal lives.

Gilllian was selected to be in the leadership awards.

Jobbing Doctor kindly referred to this piece early this morning.

This is what Gillian said

"I hope that the Leadership Fellows' programme will allow me to develop my skills so that I can lead more effectively in increasingly complex settings. I want to gain a contemporary grounding in quality improvement science and practice in order to be most effective in leading change in healthcare education and training towards healthcare improvements and improved patient outcomes."

Jobbing Doctor says as follows :-

"Whilst I have no axe to grind (He is young, I am old; he is Scottish, I am not; he is a hospital junior, I'm a GP), it is so wrong what has been done to him."

So Graeme Catto, the man who never responds to email wrote the following

----- Original Message -----
From: "Graeme Catto" <GCatto@gmc-uk.org>
To: "Rita Pal" <dr.ritapal@googlemail.com>
Sent: Sunday, August 31, 2008 7:46 PM
Subject: RE: Suspension of Scot Junior

Dear Dr Pal

Thank you for your email - and the information on the interest that this issue has engendered. Yours sincerely

Graeme Catto

Sir Graeme Catto
President General Medical Council
Regents Place
350 Euston Road
London,
NW1 3JN Tel: 020 7189 5012 Fax: 020 7189 5009 email: gcatto@gmc-uk.org

Catto was informed of the forthcoming mutiny and rebellion from the medical profession.

The General Medical Council did indeed visit yesterday afternoon. I have absolutely no doubts that they are attempting to throw out my complaint. Viewed by the seniors as a mere intemperate whistleblower with the temerity to complain about fairly power hungry seniors.

What is also possible is that I will challenge the GMC. The GMC know that I do this very well.

There is no news from the Highlands. I hope that the doctor is holding up. There is always a silence before the storm. If Gillian does not reinstate Dr Scot Jnr, there will be a mutiny in the profession. It has already started on Dr Rant's website. I understand that the seniors [who have no understanding of the power related to the internet] will dig their heels in. The problem is that the material online is here to stay permanently. That material is about to worsen. Given the high level traffic on these blogs, we note that thousands of people are searching for the Scottish SpR's plight. It does not matter whether the mainstream media features it. These days news travels by word of mouth just like the old days. What matters is that people are reading about the despicable conduct of Prof Gillian Needham and Prof Paice.

Just for avoidance of doubt, Rant's team can create great rock music and I can read large documents within minutes :). I am positive that many doctors can use http://www.tinyurl.com . Where there is a will, there is always a way :)

The Scottish SpR - Back to his Mission Impossible
He has the backing of the entire medical profession