NHS plans to make senior doctors reveal earnings from private work
Around half of hospital consultants are believed to undertake outside
work which risks conflicts of interests, according to NHS England:
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NHS England says the issue of doctors’ private work is a
‘touchy subject’ Rui Vieira/PA |
Doctors will have to reveal the amount of money they earn from
private work under new plans to help bolster transparency.
NHS England chairman Sir Malcolm Grant told The Times that the extent
of private work carried out had been "under the radar" for too long and
"we are looking into something that is quite a touchy subject".
A spokesman for NHS England, which is trying to increase
transparency, said every hospital is to publish a register of
consultants' outside earnings from April in a drive to unearth potential
conflicts of interest.
It is believed that about half of England's 46,000 NHS consultants do
private work, on top of average earnings of £112,000 a year.
NHS England will be launching a major consultation on proposals to
strengthen the management of NHS conflicts of interest and to clamp down
on inappropriate behaviour.
It comes as an NHS review has raised fears that some senior doctors
may be handing over too much work to junior colleagues or spending a lot
of time on private work.
Sir Malcolm told The Times: "It's not an attempt to curb private work
by consultants. Let's just have some transparency here. Much of what
goes on in these communities is almost under the radar."
- Press Association
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