Clare Chapman and the trolley ride

Posted by: Witch Doctor | December 21, 2007

Clare Chapman and the trolley ride

TESCO’S MUST HAVE BEEN EASIER THAN THIS

One of The Witch Doctor’s early posts related to Clare Chapman.

She is the Director General of Workforce at the Department of Health. She formerly worked for Tesco’s and only took up her position in the NHS early in 2007. She entered the NHS at the deep end, just as MTAS was taking up the formation of a pear.

Clare Chapman was sitting beside Liam Donaldson at the House of Commons Committee on MMC on 15 November 2007.

She responded to questions on the importance of the team.

A CHRISTMAS COLOURED TEAM

(A green leader or a misfit of a doctor?)

“Part of the principles behind MMC was around how to make sure that doctor training isn’t done in isolation of the rest of the health care professionals they are working in the team with, and a piece of work that is currently going on at the moment is to look at integrated care pathways and actually understand what the workforce implications are of those - which of course will cover all the professionals involved in delivering that care.”

The Witch Doctor thinks this has been the fundamental problem with MMC. Until recently most of the medical staff viewed it as a medical issue, not acknowledging that simultaneous changes in the profile of other NHS staff was bound to impinge on the role of the doctor. The implications resulting from a new type of teamwork and Integrated Care Pathways did not register with most medics.

This is what the Tooke Report has to address first.

Much of MMC has focused on the early training years.

In defining the role of the doctor, the first issue that has to be addressed is the role of the independent medical practitioners - the GPs and consultants. The issue of responsibility and accountability also needs to be made very clear. If these roles are defined, the relative roles of the other grades will follow.

This is a very difficult task which should not be fudged.

The Witch Doctor thinks the wearing of kid gloves should not be the order of the day.

The Witch Doctor is watching with great interest.

Isn’t it a pity, My Black Cat, that most patients and many doctors are unaware how important it is to get this right?

a red apple ……………………