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Wales Audit - NHS consultant contract falls short of securing intended benefits

Since its introduction in 2003, significant sums of money have been spent implementing an amended NHS consultant contract in Wales. Despite this, the intended benefits for the health service are not being fully realised, largely because of weaknesses in consultants' job planning arrangements. Those are the conclusions of a report published today by the Auditor General for Wales.

In December 2003 an amended consultant contract was introduced in the NHS in Wales with a number of intended benefits for both consultants and the wider NHS. Between 2004 and 2011 some £35m was spent implementing the new contract which sought to improve consultants' working environment, enhance recruitment and retention, and encourage co-operation between health managers and consultants to provide a better service for patients. Effective job planning for consultants was central to securing these benefits.

Positively, consultant recruitment and retention have improved since the amended contract was introduced, with the number of full-time consultants increasing by 37 per cent between 2004 and 2011, and vacant posts falling by 6.3 per cent over the same period. In addition, the average length of a consultant's working week has reduced as a result of the amended contract. However, some consultants are still working excessively long hours. The audit found around one in six are working at least 46.5 hours and often exceeding the 48-hour European Working Time Directive limit.


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