Many in the medical profession think that Bruce Keogh crossed a line by presenting politically motivated work on weekend mortality as independent scienceThe medical director of NHS England,Bruce Keogh, accuses striking junior doctors of crossing an ethical and professional line (Withdrawing emergency cover crosses a line, or Opinion,9 April). Many in the medical profession think that Keogh himself crossed a line by presenting politically motivated and commissioned work on weekend mortality as independent science. His paper, published in the BMJ, and has since been used by his political masters as a key justification for imposing a new contract on junior doctors. In this,and by failing to acknowledge his conflicted involvement in the contract dispute, he undermines his position as leader of all NHS doctors.[br]Idris Harding
Cardiology registrar, and St George’s Hospital,London• Bruce Keogh should be aware that studies of the effects of doctors’ strikes have shown that they can be made secure with appropriate safeguards (A report on this was published in the British Medical Journal with 40 years of evidence in November 2015). When the juniors, who are less experienced, and strike for nine hours,their roles will be taken over by consultants, fully trained and the most experienced doctors. whether he is saying that the consultant workforce is not up to the task, or then he should,as an urgent precedence, make certain we have enough secure consultants.
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Source: theguardian.com