Doctors in Unite

Last updated
Doctors in Unite
Founded1914
Headquarters London, WC1
United Kingdom
Location
Key people
Coral Jones (Chair)
Affiliations TUC, Unite the union
Website doctorsinunite.com

Doctors in Unite is a trade union for doctors in the United Kingdom. It was formerly known as the Medical Practitioners' Union (MPU) before its affiliation with Unite.

Contents

Origin

The union was founded as the Panel Medical Practitioners' Union in 1914. [1] It was then renamed the Medico Political Union, and then the Medical Practitioners' Union in 1922. It amalgamated with the Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs [2] [3] [4] in 1970 under the leadership of Hugh Faulkner. It underwent a series of mergers which formed the Manufacturing, Science and Finance union, Amicus [5] and ultimately Unite. [6]

Initially the MPU focused on providing trade union services to GPs in their dealings with local administration of the National Health Insurance scheme, and arguing the case for the extension of the scheme to everyone. The MPU's aims from the outset were to extend the provision of medical care by the state, while retaining the independence of general practitioners. [1]

History

Doctors in Unite members supporting junior doctors outside the Department of Health in 2016 Dr Wrigley & Dr Davis supporting junior doctors outside Dept of Health, London.jpg
Doctors in Unite members supporting junior doctors outside the Department of Health in 2016

In the 1950s the MPU focused its attention on occupational health, following the failure to secure the inclusion of occupational health in the NHS when it was established in 1948. [7]

In the 1960s the MPU produced the first ever study of the working patterns of women doctors. [8] [9] This led to demands by the MPU and the Medical Women's Federation for the establishment of part-time posts. The MPU also produced the Family Doctors' Charter, [10] [11] and called for the modernisation of general practice. [12] [13] [14] After a campaign by the MPU, the BMA also supported this. [15] Its implementation lead to a significant improvement in general practice. [11]

In the 1970s the MPU renewed its demands for the introduction of part-time posts. It promoted a resolution at the Junior Doctors' Conference calling for such posts. [16] The resolution initially passed, but was then rejected by the BMA's Annual Representative Meeting. [ citation needed ] However, because of the autonomy guaranteed to MPU representatives, it was still possible for junior doctors to pursue the issue, despite BMA opposition. They succeeded, placing medicine ahead of many other professions in the recognition of part-time work.

In the 1980s the MPU continued to pursue the issue of women's equality, producing the document Women in Medicine which addressed the needs of women doctors, women's health and issues of family-friendly employment for doctors of all genders. [17] It also fought a long campaign to reduce the hours of work of junior doctors. [18] [19] [20] This including several Parliamentary bills promoted by MPs allied to the Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs union, which detailed proposals on how hours of work could be reduced.[ citation needed ] There were a series of associated demonstrations, including sleep-ins.[ citation needed ] Eventually the campaign enabled the BMA to negotiate a new deal on hours of work. The MPU also conducted research documenting racial discrimination in medical recruitment. [21]

Towards the end of the 1980s the MPU produced a document on medical ethics called A Charter of Patient's Rights and Medical Ethics, in conjunction with the Patients Association.[ citation needed ] It proposed that the composition of the NHS' democratic structure could involve elected neighbourhood health committees, [22] where local communities would pursue measures to improve the health of the community. This would provide a grass roots structure for the control of the NHS, with district, regional and national tiers partly elected directly and partly built up from below. The proposed neighbourhood health committees would consist partly of local residents elected by the local community, partly of health workers elected by their colleagues, and partly of health workers elected by the local community. This made it possible to for health workers and elected community representatives to both be in the majority group.

In the 1990s the MPU focused on opposition to GP fundholding, a policy introduced by Margaret Thatcher's government where GPs held budgets for their patients' care. [11] The MPU proposed its replacement - locality commissioning, where local communities would plan, and allocate resources for, health care which serves their community. Locality commissioning became Labour Party policy in the 1992 election. The document Alternatives to Fundholding, which expanded on these ideas, was produced following the 1997 election. [23] In 1993 it initiated a campaign for a salaried GP option and published "Salaried Service; Threat or Opportunity" in 1997. [24] The policy favoured providing a salaried option for general practitioners who would be employed by the NHS.

Locality commissioning was widely endorsed by doctors, including the BMA, and was implemented by the incoming Labour government in 1997. Sadly, its roots in communities and primary care were soon eroded by commercialisation and competitive markets. The MPU once again had to advocate for an NHS which would be the mechanism for society to pursue health as a social goal.[ citation needed ] In 2019 it published proposals for public health and primary care in local neighbourhoods. [25]

Relationship with the British Medical Association

BMA House, Tavistock Square, London Memorial screen at BMA House, Tavistock Square, London.jpg
BMA House, Tavistock Square, London

In the 1930s the MPU produced proposals for a National Health Service.[ citation needed ] The BMA also campaigned for an NHS at the time, but in the 1940s divisions emerged between the two organisations. [26] The MPU supported Aneurin Bevan's plans. The BMA however was concerned by issues that arose in local authority hospitals in the 1930s, and abandoned its previous support for an NHS run by county councils. Instead it firmly opposed nationalisation of hospitals and state employment for doctors. [27] [28] [29]

The MPU was originally the only medical trade union until the BMA registered as a trade union In 1971. [30] The Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association followed suit in 1974.

The MPU was the only TUC affiliated medical trade union until 1979, when the HCSA also affiliated. It was the only TUC affiliated trade union party to medical negotiating machinery until 2016, when the HCSA also gained recognition.[ citation needed ] It is committed to restoring the NHS as a publicly owned, publicly provided service which is democratically controlled, planned to meet need and serves as the means by which society pursues health as a social goal.[ citation needed ]

When the medical negotiating machinery was set up in 1948 the BMA sought to exclude the MPU[ citation needed ], because of its opposition to trade unionism. [31] Following a campaign by the union, an agreement was reached between the BMA and the MPU in December 1950.[ citation needed ] The BMA agreed to maintain universal franchise open to all doctors, including MPU members, and gave the MPU seats on the committee representing general practitioners. In return, the MPU withdrew its request for seats on the Doctors and Dentists Whitley Council.[ citation needed ] That agreement remains in force to this day, and is the means by which UNITE accesses the negotiating machinery for doctors and hospital dentists in the NHS. The agreement also applied to local government from 1950 to 1974, when the NHS negotiating machinery extended to health workers in local government.[ citation needed ] As that is no longer the case, UNITE is now the only recognised medical trade union in negotiations with local government.[ citation needed ]

Because of the MPU's unique position, significant number of BMA members who wish to be affiliated to the TUC maintain a dual membership with the MPU.[ citation needed ]

The recognition of the HCSA in 2016 led to a dispute about the negotiating machinery, which remains unresolved.[ citation needed ] The HCSA suggested a joint negotiating committee, with representatives from the HCSA and BMA.[ citation needed ] However, the BMA and UNITE protested that the BMA machinery also represented UNITE and (for hospital dentists) the British Dental Association. They stated that the most appropriate way for the HCSA to access negotiations would be by reaching a similar agreement to that of the MPU and the BMA.[ citation needed ] Failure to resolve this issue led to a situation in which the BMA, UNITE and the BDA accessed negotiations through BMA machinery, whilst the HCSA met employers separately.[ citation needed ]

Journal

The union published the journal Medical World. This originated in 1913 as the official journal of the State Medical Service Association, and was adopted as the MPU's journal the following year. [6]

Aims

In a document published in its centenary year, entitled Caring for Doctors, Fighting for the NHS - Fighting for doctors, for health and for the people for over 100 years[ citation needed ] the MPU defined itself as:

Related Research Articles

The British Medical Association (BMA) is a registered trade union for doctors in the United Kingdom. It does not regulate or certify doctors, a responsibility which lies with the General Medical Council. The BMA has a range of representative and scientific committees and is recognised by National Health Service (NHS) employers alongside the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association as one of two national contract negotiators for doctors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association</span> British trade union

HCSA - the hospital doctors' union is a nationally recognised professional association and trade union in the UK dedicated solely to hospital consultants, specialty doctors and core/specialty hospital doctors in training and Foundation grades, originally established in 1948 as the Regional Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Family medicine</span> Medical specialty

Family medicine is a medical specialty within primary care that provides continuing and comprehensive health care for the individual and family across all ages, genders, diseases, and parts of the body. The specialist, who is usually a primary care physician, is named a family physician. It is often referred to as general practice and a practitioner as a general practitioner. Historically, their role was once performed by any doctor with qualifications from a medical school and who works in the community. However, since the 1950s, family medicine / general practice has become a specialty in its own right, with specific training requirements tailored to each country. The names of the specialty emphasize its holistic nature and/or its roots in the family. It is based on knowledge of the patient in the context of the family and the community, focusing on disease prevention and health promotion. According to the World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA), the aim of family medicine is "promoting personal, comprehensive and continuing care for the individual in the context of the family and the community". The issues of values underlying this practice are usually known as primary care ethics.

In the United Kingdom, junior doctors are qualified medical practitioners working whilst engaged in postgraduate training. The period of being a junior doctor starts when they qualify as a medical practitioner following graduation with a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery degree and start the UK Foundation Programme, it culminates in a post as a consultant, a general practitioner (GP), or some other non-training post, such as a specialty doctor or associate specialist post.

In the United Kingdom, Ireland, and parts of the Commonwealth, consultant is the title of a senior hospital-based physician or surgeon who has completed all of their specialist training and been placed on the specialist register in their chosen speciality. Their role is entirely distinct from that of general practitioners, or GPs.

General medical services (GMS) is the range of healthcare that is provided by general practitioners as part of the National Health Service in the United Kingdom. The NHS specifies what GPs, as independent contractors, are expected to do and provides funding for this work through arrangements known as the General Medical Services Contract. Today, the GMS contract is a UK-wide arrangement with minor differences negotiated by each of the four UK health departments. In 2013 60% of practices had a GMS contract as their principal contract. The contract has sub-sections and not all are compulsory. The other forms of contract are the Personal Medical Services or Alternative Provider Medical Services contracts. They are designed to encourage practices to offer services over and above the standard contract. Alternative Provider Medical Services contracts, unlike the other contracts, can be awarded to anyone, not just GPs, don't specify standard essential services, and are time limited. A new contract is issued each year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the National Health Service</span> Aspect of history of the UK national health service (1946- )

The name National Health Service (NHS) is used to refer to the publicly funded health care services of England, Scotland and Wales, individually or collectively. Northern Ireland's services are known as 'Health and Social Care' to promote its dual integration of health and social services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irish Medical Organisation</span> Registered trade union and professional association for doctors in Ireland

The Irish Medical Organisation is a professional association for doctors in Ireland, and is also a trade union representing doctors in negotiations with the Irish government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Health Service (England)</span> Publicly-funded healthcare system in England

The National Health Service (NHS) is the publicly funded healthcare system in England, and one of the four National Health Service systems in the United Kingdom. It is the second largest single-payer healthcare system in the world after the Brazilian Sistema Único de Saúde. Primarily funded by the government from general taxation, and overseen by the Department of Health and Social Care, the NHS provides healthcare to all legal English residents and residents from other regions of the UK, with most services free at the point of use for most people. The NHS also conducts research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

Healthcare in England is mainly provided by the National Health Service (NHS), a public body that provides healthcare to all permanent residents in England, that is free at the point of use. The body is one of four forming the UK National Health Service as health is a devolved matter; there are differences with the provisions for healthcare elsewhere in the United Kingdom, and in England it is overseen by NHS England. Though the public system dominates healthcare provision in England, private health care and a wide variety of alternative and complementary treatments are available for those willing and able to pay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Health Service</span> Publicly-funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom

The National Health Service (NHS) is the conglomerate name for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom, comprising NHS England, NHS Scotland and NHS Wales. Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland was created separately and is often locally referred to as "the NHS". The original three systems were established in 1948 as part of major social reforms following the Second World War. The founding principles were that services should be comprehensive, universal and free at the point of delivery—a health service based on clinical need, not ability to pay. Each service provides a comprehensive range of health services, provided without charge for people ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom apart from dental treatment and optical care. In England, NHS patients have to pay prescription charges; some, such as those aged over 60, or those on certain state benefits, are exempt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the National Health Service (England)</span>

The National Health Service in England was created by the National Health Service Act 1946. Responsibility for the NHS in Wales was passed to the Secretary of State for Wales in 1969, leaving the Secretary of State for Social Services responsible for the NHS in England by itself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Health and Social Care Act 2012</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Health and Social Care Act 2012 is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It provided for the most extensive reorganisation of the structure of the National Health Service in England to date. It removed responsibility for the health of citizens from the Secretary of State for Health, which the post had carried since the inception of the NHS in 1948. It abolished primary care trusts (PCTs) and strategic health authorities (SHAs) and transferred between £60 billion and £80 billion of "commissioning", or healthcare funds, from the abolished PCTs to several hundred clinical commissioning groups, partly run by the general practitioners (GPs) in England. A new executive agency of the Department of Health, Public Health England, was established under the act on 1 April 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clare Gerada</span> London based general practitioner

Dame Clare Mary Louise Francis Gerada, Lady Wessely, is a London-based general practitioner who is President of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) and a former chairperson of the RCGP Council (2010–2013). She has professional interests in mental health and substance misuse.

Chaand Nagpaul is a British doctor who works as a general practitioner and was Chair of the Council of the British Medical Association 2017-2022. Nagpaul took over as chair from Mark Porter in June 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Wrigley</span> British medical doctor (born 1969)

David Wrigley is a British medical doctor who works as a general practitioner (GP) in Lancashire and is the deputy chair of the British Medical Association (BMA) Council. He is a member of the Labour Party and Socialist Health Association.

Peter J P Holden is a doctor who works as a General Practitioner in Matlock, Derbyshire. He is a member of the Council of the British Medical Association, member of its GP committee since 1981 who was a negotiator with the General Practitioner's Committee (GPC) for more the 15 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fraser Macintosh Rose</span> General practitioner (1897–1972)

Fraser Macintosh Rose,, known as Fraser Rose, was a physician who worked as a general practitioner (GP), and is best known for co-founding the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeremy Hunt's tenure as Health Secretary</span> UK Government appointment from 2012 to 2018

Jeremy Hunt served as Secretary of State for Health, later Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, from 2012 to 2018. Appointed by David Cameron, Hunt served in the Cameron–Clegg coalition and Cameron majority government. He was reappointed by Theresa May and served in the majority and minority May governments. In January 2018, Hunt gained additional responsibility for social care in England and, in June, became the longest-serving Health Secretary in British political history. He left the role when he was promoted to Foreign Secretary following the resignation of Boris Johnson, and was succeeded by Matt Hancock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022–2023 National Health Service strikes</span> Healthcare strike

The 2022–2023 National Health Service (NHS) strikes are several ongoing industrial disputes in the publicly funded health services of the United Kingdom.

References

  1. 1 2 COOTER, ROGER (2004). "The Rise and Decline of the Medical Member: Doctors and Parliament in Edwardian and Interwar Britain" (PDF). Bulletin of the History of Medicine. 78 (1): 59–107. doi:10.1353/bhm.2004.0012. ISSN   0007-5140. JSTOR   44447953. PMID   15161087. S2CID   40407166.
  2. ↑ "Trade Union Bill (Hansard, 19 June 1984)". api.parliament.uk. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  3. ↑ "Arnold Elliott: NHS GP and pioneer of integrated healthcare". The Times . ISSN   0140-0460 . Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  4. ↑ × LABOUR EDITOR, O 1982, 'UK News and Labour: Legislation likely to boost ASTMS membership', Financial Times (London, England), 19 Apr, p. 6, (online NewsBank).
  5. ↑ Shifrin, Tash (2004-06-07). "GPs call for better treatment of asylum seekers". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  6. 1 2 Records of the Medical Practitioners' Union, University of Warwick Modern Records Centre
  7. ↑ Medical Practitioners' Union, ed. (1953). Memorandum on the need for the introduction of an occupational health service with suggestions for its organisation. London: Medical Practitioners' Union.
  8. ↑ Medical Practitioners' Union; Jefferys, Margot; Elliott, Patricia M.; Great Britain; Great Britain, eds. (1966). Women in medicine: the results of an inquiry conducted by the ... Union in 1962-63. London: Office of Health Economics.
  9. ↑ "Women in Medicine: The Results of an Inquiry Conducted by the Medical Practitioners' Union in 1962 – 63". www.ohe.org. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  10. ↑ "THE FAMILY DOCTOR (Hansard, 22 January 1964)". api.parliament.uk. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  11. 1 2 3 Roberts, Neil (1 August 2014). "Interview: 100 years at the heart of GP politics". GP Online. Archived from the original on 2020-08-20. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  12. ↑ Design for Family Doctoring. Medical Practitioners' Union. 1967.
  13. ↑ "NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE (Hansard, 19 December 1963)". api.parliament.uk. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  14. ↑ "NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE (REGULATIONS) (Hansard, 3 November 1966)". api.parliament.uk. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  15. ↑ "NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE (DOCTORS' PAY AND CONDITIONS (Hansard, 17 March 1965)". api.parliament.uk. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  16. ↑ Gordon, Harvey; Iliffe, Steve (1977). Pickets in white: the junior doctors' dispute of 1975. Medical Practitioners' Union. London: M.P.U. Publications.
  17. ↑ Lister, John (1974-01-31). "Changing Patterns of Medical Care — Women in Medicine — A Tribute to Long Service". New England Journal of Medicine. 290 (5): 271–272. doi:10.1056/NEJM197401312900510. ISSN   0028-4793. PMID   4587638.
  18. ↑ SHERMAN, J 1987, 'New 'staff doctors' proposed', Times, The (London, England), 28 Oct, (online NewsBank).
  19. ↑ Union, Medical Practitioners' (1988). How to Improve Your Working Conditions: A Medical Practitioners' Union Factsheet for Junior Hospital Doctors. MSF.
  20. ↑ "JUNIOR DOCTORS' CONTRACTS (Hansard, 14 March 1990)". api.parliament.uk. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  21. ↑ Esmail, A.; Everington, S. (1993-03-13). "Racial discrimination against doctors from ethnic minorities". British Medical Journal. 306 (6879): 691–692. doi:10.1136/bmj.306.6879.691. ISSN   0959-8138. PMC   1677082 . PMID   8471921.
  22. ↑ Fitzpatrick, Mike (2007-05-01). "Supermarket medicine?". The British Journal of General Practice. 57 (538): 423. ISSN   0960-1643. PMC   2047038 . PMID   17504609.
  23. ↑ Glennerster, H.; Cohen, A.; Bovell, V. (1998). "Alternatives to fundholding". International Journal of Health Services: Planning, Administration, Evaluation. 28 (1): 47–66. doi:10.2190/E5MT-HHGH-5AAA-RC1X. ISSN   0020-7314. PMID   9493753. S2CID   46372270.
  24. ↑ Manufacturing, Science & Finance, Southwark St London October 1997
  25. ↑ Watkins, Steve (1 January 2019). "Public Health and Primary Care". Doctors in Unite. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  26. ↑ Davies, Celia (1981). "Review of The Division in British Medicine: A History of the Separation of General Practice from Hospital Care, 1911-1968". The British Journal for the History of Science. 14 (1): 99–101. doi:10.1017/S0007087400018410. ISSN   0007-0874. JSTOR   4026085. S2CID   144203692.
  27. ↑ "The birth of the NHS". The Independent. 2008-06-28. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  28. ↑ "BBC News | Special report | Making Britain better". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  29. ↑ July 8th; 2017|British; Politics, Irish; Policy; Economy; Society; Featured; Services, Public; Comments, the Welfare State|2 (2017-07-07). ""Why should the people wait any longer?" How Labour built the NHS". British Politics and Policy at LSE. Retrieved 2020-04-18.{{cite web}}: |last4= has generic name (help)
  30. ↑ Scavone, Francesca. "BMA as a trade union". The British Medical Association is the trade union and professional body for doctors in the UK. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  31. ↑ Jones, P. R. (1974). "The British Medical Association and the closed shop". Industrial Relations Journal. 5 (4): 36–45. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2338.1974.tb00569.x. ISSN   1468-2338.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.