Is it right that GPs can earn £100,000 pa for weekend work only?

[suzieseaside]

The NHS is in dire straits financially, in need of £8 billion funding boost, but locum GPs can earn £100K a year for just working at weekends. 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/nhs/11188613/GPs-paid-100000-to-work-only-weekends.html

Shifts, which include just a few hours on a Friday night, and all day Saturday and Sunday, can involve out-of-hours doctors simply answering non-emergency phone calls.

One GP was told by London-based CES Locums that she could make up to £3,000 a weekend in Cornwall.

The firm’s recruitment consultant told the GP: “I’ve a doctor who works every weekend. That’s the only job that she does.

“She probably clears between £7,000 and £8,000 a month.”

The consultant said the weekend work was like a “working holiday” – especially in summer.

“If you’ve got a family it’s quite nice, it’s quite relaxed,” he said.

The recruitment agency was offering similar rates in rural Kent and Herefordshire.

Nice work if you can get it. And while you're about it you can diagnose a few cases of dementia to boost your income further.

[sir_arthur_strebe-grebling]

The Nationalised Death Service is like all the public sector, good at demanding more and more of our money; bad at spending it sensibly.

[suzieseaside]

Very true

[*.*..lola..*.*]

We were just talking about this the other day funnily enough..how doctors surgeries really should be made to stay open at weekends and how GPs should go back to being on call all through the night. They certainly get paid enough.

Unfortunately I also read an article saying that there is a severe shortage of medical graduates opting to become GPs nowadays so I guess the ones who do decide to become GPs are in a postion to call all the shots with regard to working hours and conditions etc.

I don't know what the answer is but paying locums shed loads of money for working stupidly low hours is not it.

I also read something the other day about hospitals mainly employing agency nurses at weekends.... at a rate of £55 per hour. Surely that can't be true?

[sir_arthur_strebe-grebling]

Greedy Labour politicians like this one don't help, either.

Labour doctor’s ‘70% too high’ NHS pay packet.

A YORKSHIRE health board is being asked to explain why it is paying a doctor standing in the General Election for Labour 70% more than NHS guidelines recommend.

Dr Mark Hayes is responsible for “strategic direction and performance guidance” at the Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group and was paid £180-£185,000 as chief clinical officer in 2013-14.

He is standing as the Labour candidate in Selby and Ainsty while in his role.

Now Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones has written to Dr Hayes’ boss at the group asking why the salary offered is considerable higher than the £105,000 to £120,000 he says is recommended in NHS guidelines.

Mr Jones said: “We all know that our NHS is under pressure, and the government is making changes to direct more resources to the frontline, it is important that CCGs play their part in keeping costs under tight control.”

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/main-topics/politics/labour-doctor-s-70-too-high-nhs-pay-packet-...

[fallen-archie]

The figures are frightening, my surgery runs more like a call centre, most consults happen on the phone and are brief. If you do get an appointment you will be sent for a blood test, asked to pee in a pot both of which require another appointment. Blood pressure is self service and most clients are pre diagnosed in accordance with size, age, weight, type of car you drive but thankfully not which football team you support.
My last GP appointment was at the beginning of the year, they would prefer me to join the gravy train regularly peeing, giving blood samples and having my heart checked. Trouble is that wasn't what was troubling me, so the real ailment remains.
Simple answer to this problem is to stop being a bunch of hypochondriacs , cut demand and put a bit of market economics back in.

[evoman3957]

My Son qualifies as a Doctor next april, after training for 6 / 7 Years ( took time out to get a couple of other degrees ). Out of His entire Year, that are qualifying at the same time, possibly about 50 to 60 out of the original 150 that started; only a hanfull want to go on to be G.P's and He's not one. As long as you want doctors and allow them to choose what speciality they want to persue, you're going to have the same problem. There is something about being a G.P. which they don't find either rewarding enough, or challenging enough, regardless of how good the money may be. Many regard them as just prescription dispensers and if they don't know what a particular patients problem is, they simply refer them on to somebody who does ( a specialist ).........................The answer.......I don't know and what's more concerning is, neither does My Son.

[fallen-archie]

I wish your son well, I hear the same story time and time again. Not sure that a GPs role is one for the newly qualified, because there is a social aspect and one which requires such a broad general knowledge maybe that would provide a better stream of new GPs.

[shel-mabe]

Hmm, yes. I'm trying to take seriously the envious opinion of a failed Academic complaining about those who are actually successful in their field and have the income that goes with it. Sour grape anyone ?

[bookhunter2007]

---

@sir_arthur_strebe-grebling wrote:

The Nationalised Death Service is like all the public sector, good at demanding more and more of our money; bad at spending it sensibly.

---

Could be worse...

Health Expenditure as % of GDP

UK: 9.4%

USA: 17.9%

Life expectancy

UK: 81

USA: 79.8

[sir_arthur_strebe-grebling]

It's fun what you can show by cherry-picking statistics.

Health Expenditure as % of GDP

Sierra Leone: 15.1%

South Korea: 7.5%

Life expectancy

Sierra Leone: 45

South Korea: 81

[bankhaunter]

It certainly is.

Health expenditure per capita

USA,   $8,895

UK,   $3,647

Sierra Leone $96

South Korea $1,703

http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.XPD.PCAP

[upthecreekyetagain]

The real disgrace is that the rich Western countries are recruiting doctors and nurses from countries that have a much lower life expectancy and far fewer doctors in relation to their population than they do.

[023mjc]

I'm obviously in the wrong job !!!

[evoman3957]

I don't know about the criteria in other Countries, but anybody can be a Doctor in this Country................if you want to be.........and:

You start off with 3 A Levels ( in relevant subjects )

You live with your Head buried in medical Books, studying for 5 Years ( if you're very bright, you may have a bit of a social life; if you're average..............you won't )

You pass every years exams and remain in the top 30% to 40% of your Year

You've got somebody else who can carry you financially, until you qualify

Because even if you've got a Partner whose earning upwards of £25,000 per annum

You'll still finish with a loan to pay off of £30,000 to £50,000

You realise that your starting salary in the first year ,as a F1 Doctor, will be around £24,000

If you want to be a G.P. that's a further 3 to 4 years of speciality training and experience gathering

If you've got what it takes.........go for it.........the World is your Oyster.

[pillarboxred]

Doctors can be lured abroad by larger salaries. Their salaries look like telephone numbers but quantitive easing and inflation have reduced the spending power of the Pound to such an extent that even £100,000 might not buy the standard of living of a general practitioner of fifty or a hundred years ago.

Doctors are one group who are worth their pay.