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New contract offers hope for medical education

Press release 15 December 2003

Medical academics in England are to be balloted on a new contract that recognises their commitment to teaching and research in medical schools, as well as patient care.

As employees of both universities and the NHS, medical academics have always faced unique workload pressures. Around five thousand staff will now vote on a specially tailored version of the new consultant contract which will give them greater power to balance the competing demands of their two employers.

The ballot will open on December 22, 2003 and close at 10am on January 9, 2004.

The BMA believes the new contract would mean significant improvements to academics’ working lives. Its provisions include:

• flexible, joint job planning to allow more power to cope with workload
• average pay rises of 15% in total career earnings
• time spent teaching or carrying out research to be contracted and paid for
• more explicit recognition of research and education
• the rights and obligations of both staff and employers to be clearly set out
• increased safeguards for employment continuity and safeguards for staff whose university contracts are terminated, but who wish to remain in the NHS
• a more manageable working week comprising ten four-hour sessions as standard but with provision to contract for up to two more sessions for either the university or the NHS

The BMA will be sending documentation relating to the contract to all clinical academic consultants in England before the ballot commences. This includes a model honorary NHS contract, suggested clauses for insertion into the university contract, and guidance on applying the new contract, which has been agreed by all parties.

The accompanying ballot paper asks : “Do you want to have the option to take up the new academic contract?”

In the event of a yes vote, academics that take up the new contract by January 31, 2004 will receive pay backdated to April.

Professor Michael Rees of the BMA’s Medical Academic Staff Committee said:

“Medical academic workload is increasing at an unsustainable pace - the number of medical students is growing rapidly, but the number of staff to teach them is actually falling. This contract will allow clinical academics to balance their commitments to teaching, research and clinical work more effectively. I believe it the best way forward for clinical academics as well as their patients and the students they teach. This vote really matters.”

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