Every consultant I have come across does private practise a couple of days a week. So quite how this 50 hours a week figure is arrive dat would be interesting.

Bill Deedes, Winchester,

It is interesting to compare this with the situation for GP's, in both situations the DoH believed senior doctors (consultants and GP's) were working in an inefficient and wasteful manner, spending too much time on the golf course or performing private practice. In both situations the reality was a committed and dedicated workforce working way beyond the basic needs of their contracts, this only become obvious when performance related pay was introduced.

Andy B., Manchester, UK

Many Consultants are still working in excess of their contracts.
As a monopoly employer the NHS has managed to pay far less than an open market would demand for the majority of Consultants.
This article looks suspiciously like the doctor-bashing that nowadays always precedes the annual pay negotiations.

BrummyDoug, Birmingham, England

We did get a pay increase for basically doing the same work. The difference for me is that I am now paid for working Saturday morning and for working on-call all the time (yes, 24 hours a day 7 days a week) when before I did it for free. I feel that my commitment to working for the NHS is now recognised, when in the past that was taken for granted. Well done to the BMA for negotiating the deal and well done to the Government for trying to be fair with one group of public sector workers. Unfortunately, it hasn't spread its largesse to the the nurses and other staff.

Paul Godwin, Keighley, UK

how many other professions would work 50+ hours a week for 37.5 hours pay?
The new contract, has started only partially to redress this imbalance.
Still working 50+ hours a week and only getting paid for 44 hours.
No degree in maths needed!
Yes more pay, yet no more work being done as I am already working flat out.
Can a politician with a GCSE see the logic?

Tim, newcastle, tyne and wear

The Government said doctors spent their afternoons on the golf course or in private practice.
The doctors said they worked 51 hours a week.
The Government said the doctors were lying.
The Government jumped at the chance to put doctors on a contract of around 40 hours a week, which is what they thought the doctors actually worked.

No surprise then that the doctors (who weren't lying) had to do more than 40 hours work simply to maintain a service (therebye boosting their pay on the new contract). However, that turned out to be fewer hours than they worked previously, so "productivity" has not improved.
And now of course doctors have to do so many other things (at the behest of Government) such as pointless paperwork and administration, managing hospital services, training junior staff and medical students that I wonder how they find any time to see patients.

Johnson, Manchester, UK

Jack Target - Oh look, another defender of medical 'professionals' who have fleeced the public and give virtually nothing in return. I'm not surprised that there is no perceptible improvement in the service. The cynicism in the medical profession would assure that their conscience is clear after taking such a huge slice of funding meant for the good of sick people. The public are funding one hours work and four and a half days golf.

Judy , Liverpool, england

Well said WMCC
The old contract was 37 hrs, and the consultants were doing 51.6 hrs. How many decades of unpaid overtime does that add up to I wonder, especially as some of this was in the middle of the night?. At least docs are paid for the hours they work now
BMCN.

bmcn, birmingham, England

Oh look! It's a another doctor-bashing exercise from a bureaucrat-come-politician. I hope this will not be followed by the sacking of essential medical personnel who then have to be re-employed on the quiet at a greater cost.

Jack Target, London, England

Actually John, whilst I agree with your sentiments, you are a bit off the mark when it comes to your comments about the impact managers have on patient care. All too often these days, in my opinion, they actually have a NEGATIVE effect upon patient care. If you want evidence of this you only have to look at the way most PCTs are handling the debacle which is the new dental contract. Of course, the end game might be to remove all but the most basic dental provision (extractions) from the NHS budget, and that provision to be made at PCT clinics staffed by understimulated therapists (note: not dentists). An even better example is the MRSA and C.Difficile pandemic in our hospitals

Bill Q, Derby,

the governemnet grossly underestimated what consultants did under the old contract- in particular the large amount of work that was not paid for. They believed their own propaganda that consultants spent all their time at private hospitals and the golf course.

The governement insisted on only paying for work done and that is what they have got.

wmcc, london,

It is all about control . Consultants are at the top of their field and governments by definition always want something for nothing under the 'dictum value for money ' . The prime test is what the effect would be if the Consultants did not come in to work as opposed to the so called NHS managers who have no impact on patient care . If these so called managers were really effective they would be in the private sector . So we really need to take a hard look at how people are valued whether as suppliers and demanders of services . The market is the best arbiter not an overbloated politically tainted bureacracy .

JOhn Bocchetti , Abu Dhabi , UAE