Consultant anaesthetist (regional & airway). BMA / LNC representative.
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I wanted to follow up to some comments: patients are my ONLY motivation here.
I’m an NHS consultant. I am a medically qualified, fully-trained expert in one specialty, and can call a friend who is an expert in any another. My job and income are secure. (1/8)
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George Reid retweeted
Partha is right on this - there is huge appetite for training in anaesthesia among uk-trained doctors.
The “workforce” arguments for non-medical anaesthesia associates simply don’t hold any truth these days.
Nor does the financial argument really.
Just to showcase how far down the rabbit hole some of the Royal Colleges (in this case @RCoANews), along with @NHSE_WTE @NHSEngland @gmcuk et al have all gone- on the hubris of idealogy.
Myth 1:
There isn't enough doctors to do the job.
Fact:
In the context of anaethesia?
The competition ratio for Anaesthetics CT1 in the NHS is 10.54:1 for the 2026 Round 1 recruitment cycle (5,766 applications for 547 posts)
AFTER removing those pesky foreigners aka IMGs (as far as I am aware)
Myth 2:
There isn't enough money to hire doctors
Fact:
Look at recent job advert for a Physicians Assistant (Anaesthesia)
Salary & Pay Scale: NHS Agenda for Change Band 7 (£55,524 - £62,652 per annum)
Above doesn't factor in cost of supervision via a Senior Consultant
Riddle me this.
What is the feasible reason to have these roles when you have trained doctors (NOT foreigners)- done at cost to tax payer to do the role?
It makes no clinical, financial or policy sense.
Yet?
Here we are.
Pontificating why NHS is non-productive or has safety issues - wherever you look.
I repeat to all.
Do NOT do to others you wouldn't want to do to your loved ones.
@RoyLilley @JanetEastham @lengreview @KamranAbbasi @DrNatBroughton @YvetteCooperMP
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George Reid retweeted
Senior physicians call on the RCP to uphold its 2024 EGM mandate on physician assistants.
dauk.org/rcp-letter/
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NHS England: new consultant €135,600 (£113,565)
NHS England: experienced consultant, 8–13 years €162,000 (£135,645)
NHS England: senior consultant, 14+ years €179,800 (£150,569)
Ireland: new public-only consultant €238,221
Ireland: senior public-only consultant €286,151
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Teaching on a course yesterday where a candidate reminded me of a time (10 years ago) when I saved a patient’s life by decompressing a tension pneumothorax via the scrotum.
Find THAT in the guidelines or protocols for noctors.
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George Reid retweeted
@lengreview please can you tell us the names of all the members of the advisory panel that produced the PA guidance? Please can you also provide their COI statements.
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George Reid retweeted
Quite how Dame Gillian Leng can hope to maintain any scientific or non biased credentials after this stitch up review I find hard to see. Is it April 1st? Is it even genuine?
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Thirlwall inquiry.
"The move towards a 'no blame' culture in the NHS, starting in 2000, was a mistake."
thirlwall.public-inquiry.uk/…
ALT Screenshot of paragraph 4.26
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Another year teaching on the Wessex Awake Tracheal Intubation course. Great faculty, candidates and ODP colleagues.
A registrar taught me that the “banana” flavouring in 10% lidocaine is used by bees as a pheromone.
This is the kind of pointless anaesthetic trivia I live for.
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Real anaesthetists know that it doesn’t matter if you insert it into the vallecula through the medulla.
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Another sad, unnecessary and likely fully preventable death resulting from an ACP playing doctor.
The solution here is to stop unqualified people practising medicine, not adding more “pathways”.
🚨New PFD report . Another death due to Advanced practitioners
Pt had recent pituitary surgery . Hospital advice- if vomiting seek MEDICAL attention. 48 hours of vomiting. ANP advised ‘home management’.
Coroner barely touched the ANP decision that left Pt to arrest and die.
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At Arrowe Park, the Trust has admitted that nurse consultants have been covering doctor shifts and carrying out work in place of medical consultants.
Patients deserve transparency about who is providing their care. We’ve written to the Trust asking why doctors are being replaced in this way.
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There’s a joke about gonococcus in here too somewhere…
CONSULTANT LEVEL ADVANCED PRACTITIONER
❌Competencies completed to a minimum of an ST3 Registrar or national accreditation
❌Conduct ward rounds, supervising and teaching junior Drs and ACPs. Managing & making autonomous decisions about patients with highly complex conditions
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George Reid retweeted
Yes, because "Nurse Consultant" has the word "Nurse" in it. The issue I'm pointing out is that in practice, we have lots of experience of the "nurse" disappearing and being replaced with a specialty/team.
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George Reid retweeted
Oh just fuck off will you? I've had 7 appointments at my GPs surgery and not actually seen a doctor! 2 nurses ,2 paramedics, 2 physician associates (now, allegedly assistants but not at my surgery) and 1 physician associate Student, for God's sake. You've fkd it for the future.
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Thanks to all consultants who returned their ballot.
Best get negotiating.
Consultants in England have voted YES, sending a clear message to Government that enough is enough.
Consultants deserve fair pay, better working conditions and an end to the erosion of their contracts.
We demand negotiations that lead to real changes for consultants. The next move is Government’s. bma.org.uk/consultantspay
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George Reid retweeted
We are at the annual representative meeting today, asking consultants to vote YES in our ballot.
We demand a better deal for consultants. Make sure you have your say and vote now.
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George Reid retweeted
Here’s what happened when Korea promoted widespread thyroid ultrasounds for the general population.
Of course those idiots didn’t have Silicon Valley so I’m sure this time will be different
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George Reid retweeted
The Medical Act is being replaced. The new draft act will
- make it possible for the GMC to grant CCTs to PAs and AAs
There’s an open consultation now.
gmc-consultation-guide.netli…
✍️ Fill it out today and share it to colleagues and family
*Closes June 23rd. Don’t delay*!
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