14 Tuesday March 15 2022 | the times
News
A new version of the doctors’ “bible”
will aim to put an end to bullying and
harassment on the wards after the
profession experienced its own #Me-
Too moment.
The proposed update to the General
Medical Council (GMC) guidelines,
that set out what is expected of doctors,
will place more emphasis on profes-
sional behaviours “such as challenging
conduct that could be considered har-
assment, discrimination or bullying”.
The first update to the Good Medical
Practice guide since 2013 comes as the
doctors’ regulator tries to improve staff
retention and follows some high-
profile scandals involving doctors.
Last week an NHS gynaecologist,
who was sacked following claims of
sexual harassment, including demand-
ing a junior female colleague strip
naked as punishment for answering a
question incorrectly, had an unfair dis-
missal case thrown out by an employ-
ment tribunal.
Female surgeons have been sharing
details of harassment, abuse and rape
by male colleagues in what has been
branded a #MeToo moment for the
specialism.
Charlie Massey, chief executive of
the GMC, said: “Medicine is a team
sport. And it’s important that within
teams we all behave and act in a way
that’s professional and supports each
other and enables everybody to givetheir best.” Massey said he was worried
about the current workforce shortages
in the NHS, and in particular about
retaining doctors, describing it as “what
we really need to focus on to get
through the next few years”.
GMC surveys show a rise in doctors
taking concrete steps towards leaving
the NHS. “I think a number of health-
care professionals, including doctors,Boris Johnson will receive a £2,121 pay
rise from next month, Downing Street
has confirmed.
The 2.7 per cent increase in MPs’ pay,
announced this month, will come into
effect as the government grapples with
a severe cost-of-living squeeze.
Though the pay rise is below infla-
tion, meaning it amounts to a pay cut in
real terms, it could prove controversial
as national insurance increases and
pendently judged by Ipsa”. The spokes-
man declined to say whether Johnson
would donate the increase to charity.
“I’m not going to get into the charitable
donations the prime minister makes,”
he said.
Asked if Johnson would cut his min-
isterial salary by £2,200, the spokesman
said: “The ministerial element of the
prime minister’s salary has been frozen
for some time now and will remain so.”
When Ipsa announced its decision
on March 1, the body’s chairman,
Richard Lloyd, said it was right thatMPs were “paid fairly”, particularly
with their work “dramatically” increas-
ing in the past 12 months.
Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader,
said earlier this year that MPs did not
need a pay rise. Richard Burgon and
Zarah Sultana, both Labour MPs, have
said they will donate the extra money to
local food banks.
In 2020, during a peak of coronavirus
cases, a proposed MPs’ pay rise of
£3,300 was scrapped amid fears that it
“would not reflect the reality that many
constituents are facing this year”.Henry Zeffman
Associate Political Editor
Trick of the light Conservators appreciate The Guitar Player by Johannes Vermeer in the way it was meant to be seen, by candlelight, at Kenwood House in north
London. The soft glow gives a better view of the artist’s technique, making the player’s pearls gleam from the canvas. New LED lights should improve viewing for all
More freedom to wed
Outdoor civil weddings and civil
partnership ceremonies allowed
under measures introduced
during the pandemic are to be
legalised permanently in England
and Wales. The relaxation in the
rules was due to expire next
month but will be made
permanent after “overwhelming
support” from the public, faith
groups and the wedding industry.Staff illness at BBC
BBC staff took 19,308 days off in
the financial year 2020-
because of mental health issues,
which is the equivalent of 50
people being away for the whole
year. A total of 505 employees
took time off because of stress,
anxiety or depression, and of
these 196 missed work for a
whole month or more. One was
absent for the entire year.Club rejects footballer
The former England footballer
Carlton Palmer wants a golf club
to change its rules because it
refused to let him join after
details of his conviction for sexual
assault in 1997 were given to the
committee. Abbeydale Golf Club,
near Sheffield, said that it had
written to Palmer, 56, explaining
why his application for
membership was turned down.Sick home syndrome
People with heart or lung
problems should be asked about
their housing conditions by
health professionals, according to
new guidelines. The National
Institute for Health and Care
Excellence said poor indoor air
quality, for example from damp
or poor ventilation, “may cause or
worsen respiratory symptoms,
such as cough and wheeze”.Easter trains cancelled
Rail passengers are being warned
to expect significant disruption at
Easter as Network Rail carries
out 530 engineering projects. The
routes affected include Southern
Rail trains to London Victoria;
South Western Railway services
to Vauxhall; services between
Birmingham and Coventry;
services between Cardiff and
Ebbw Vale Town; and West Coast
main line trains from London to
Milton Keynes and Scotland. The
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Cryptic clues Page 10 of TimesJIM HOLDEN/ENGLISH HERITAGEPrime minister will pocket £2,100 pay increase
energy bills rise. Downing Street said
that Johnson had no way of refusing the
automatic increase in his pay.
The salary increase is set by the
Independent Parliamentary Standards
Authority (Ipsa). MPs’ pay will rise
from £81,932 to £84,144. On top of that,
Johnson receives a £75,440 annual
salary as prime minister, which will take
his total pay in 2022-23 to £159,584.
The prime minister’s official spokes-
man said the pay rise for MPs is “auto-
matic, in effect” and “he is not able to
turn down that pay rise, which is inde-Revamp of medical guidelines to
tackle bullying and harassment
stayed on during the pandemic when
they may have otherwise made
decisions to step out of the workforce,”
Massey said.
More doctors are reporting burnout
and deteriorating wellbeing, he added,
with factors such as not feeling valued
and supported at work being bigger
drivers towards leaving the service than
issues such as pay and pensions.
He added: “All of these things that are
good for retaining the workforce are
also good for patients because we know
that doctors who feel better supported
and better able to speak up, are also
going to be doctors who are working
with systems that provide better patient
care.”
Asked about sexual harassment and
discrimination of and by doctors,
Massey said that GMC efforts were
focused on providing “more anticipato-
ry support for people, so that we’re
trying to create the cultures, the
behaviours, the values that mean that
these things are much less likely to
happen, or if they do happen, people
feel empowered up to speak up”.Kat Lay Health Editor Behind the story
I
n January The
Times reported on
two young female
surgeons who were
sexually assaulted by
colleagues (Kat Lay
writes). Their stories,
and others, raised
patient safety fears.
Female doctors and
nurses have described
assaults and having
“filth” whispered intheir ears, even while
treating patients. This
risks distracting them,
and suggests that the
men doing it are not
focused on the job.
A recent diversity
review by the Royal
College of Surgeons
in England found that
“inappropriate
conversations” were
common, and rapewas joked about.
Some fear that this
discussion could put
people off medical
careers. Others argue
that it is simply how
things are. But many
behaviours now being
targeted by the
General Medical
Council would not be
accepted in other
work environments.