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Friday 24 February 2012

‘Bullying’ claims after PCT warns senior doctor over health bill opposition

The Government has been accused of ‘bullying' healthcare professionals who speak out against the NHS reforms after a senior doctor who signed a letter criticising the health bill was threatened with disciplinary action. Professor John Ashton, county medical officer for Cumbria, was summoned to a meeting by PCT bosses after he and 22 other signatories penned a letter to a national newspaper criticising the bill.

NHS Cumbria claimed Professor Ashton breached the NHS code of conduct by voicing his concerns over the plans.

An NHS Cumbria spokesperson said: ‘NHS clinicians are always free to express their opinions as individuals and NHS Cumbria has never stood in the way of anyone expressing a personal view.'

‘Every senior manager in the health service has to nonetheless be mindful of expressing their views on political issues as individuals, and not on behalf of the NHS organisations for which they work. NHS organisations must always remain non-political.'

http://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/newsarticle-content/-/article_display_list/13493575/bullying-claims-after-pct-warns-senior-doctor-over-health-bill-opposition

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Whatever happened to freedom of speech? Who's kidding who? Politics always seems to get into the heart of most of what goes on.
This NHS 'reform' is just about the worst, so far, that this crazy coalition is trying to get put through. And as for Lansley, that man has got to go and the sooner the better.