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consultant and/or NHS consultant level experience and/or non flexible training (as defined). Previous service as a GP Principal is not, in our view, the same as employment in the NHS as a consultant. The training route, resulting qualification, and professional experience differ markedly between GPs and consultants. For GPs, a shorter period of training prepares them for work in a primary care setting. For consultants, following SHO training, an extended period of four to five years’ specialist training is required in order to receive the necessary accreditation for entry to the GMC’s Specialist Register, which is a pre-requisite for working as a consultant in the UK. We acknowledge that, within the UK, only consultants and General Practitioners are able to practice without supervision. However, our understanding is that a general practitioner may not practice without supervision in a hospital setting (unless in a GP or community hospital) but would normally be under the supervision of a named consultant, similar to the position of Staff Grade or Associate Specialist doctors. GP Principals working sessions in a hospital are employed either as Clinical Assistants, or Hospital Practitioners. A characteristic of both grades is that they have no independent clinical responsibility. This distinguishes them from consultants working in the same setting, in terms of professional seniority. For the above reasons, we do not believe GP Principals are caught by the first provision for granting additional seniority. Nor do we believe service as a GP Principal could count under the second provision related to non-NHS consultant level experience. When considering what should be counted as non-NHS consultant level experience it is necessary to have a benchmark. We believe that an appropriate benchmark is the accreditation that a practitioner would be expected to hold in order to be considered as equivalent to a NHS consultant in the UK. For doctors within the EEA this is clear-cut, as the equivalent qualifications are contained within the relevant legislation. For other overseas doctors, the test of equivalence is whether they have been trained to a standard equivalent to CCST. A GP Principal in the UK would not be able to meet the test of equivalence applied to EEA or other overseas doctors and we therefore believe that to allow experience as a GP Principal in the UK to be counted towards seniority would be discriminatory. We do not believe it appropriate to consider previous work as a GP Principal nor, for the avoidance of doubt, as a Clinical Assistant or Hospital Practitioner to be equivalent to that of a consultant for seniority purposes. NHS Employers consultant contract – frequently asked questions 24
NHS Employers supporting • promoting • representing NHS Employers represents trusts in England on workforce issues and helps employers to ensure the NHS is a place where people want to work. The NHS workforce is at the heart of quality patient care and we believe that employers must drive the workforce agenda. We work with employers to reflect their views and act on their behalf in four priority areas: • pay and negotiations • recruitment and planning the workforce • healthy and productive workplaces • employment policy and practice. NHS Employers is part of the NHS Confederation. Contact us For more information on how to become involved in our work, email getinvolved@nhsemployers.org www.nhsemployers Email doctorsandentists@nhsemployers.org NHS Employers 29 Bressenden Place London SW1E 5DD 2 Brewery Wharf Kendell Street Leeds LS10 1JR The document is available in pdf format at www.nhsemployers.org/publications Published March 2009. © NHS Employers 2009. This document may not be reproduced in whole or in part without permission. The NHS Confederation (Employers) Company Ltd Registered in England. Company limited by guarantee: number 5252407 Ref: EINF09701 25
