Edinburgh Sucks! | Move the goalposts II

Andy Kerr

Move the goalposts II - The Consultants

By The Basa ⋅ April 2, 2006 ⋅

Andy Kerr.jpg 600 additional consultants were needed urgently in the NHS, and the Labour and Lib Dem rulers at Follyrood decided to that they would be recruited and in place by 2006. Great stuff - good for headlines and lots of TV interviews, radio interviews and blanket press coverage.

So here we are, 2006. How many do we have? 358!

Mr. Health Minister (Andy Kerr), what happened? “I [also] need to consider how historic recruitment targets fit in with our new long-term agenda.” - that’s cleptocrat speak for “We’ve moved the goalposts because we can’t score where they are now.”

Dr Peter Bennie, deputy chairman of the British Medical Association’s Scottish consultants’ committee, said: “Since 2003, the Scottish Executive has paid little more than lip service to its commitment to increase consultant numbers.

“The failure to increase consultant numbers reflects a historic failure to plan adequately for the medical workforce in Scotland.

“There are currently around 300 consultant vacancies and the recent Audit Scotland report on the consultant contract demonstrated that more than half of consultants are working over and above their contracted hours.”

It is interesting that the extremely dodgy liar, Andy Kerr, who currently holds the health post never told us what that “new long-term agenda” was and how it has changed so much since we were desperate for these consultants but now it doesn’t really matter whether we get them or not.

More Info: Angry doctors attack Kerr U-turn on consultants