The NASGP needs you!
I have always felt that non-principal GPs are under-represented and that planet general practice revolves around principals’ star. The system tends, at best, to be neglectful of them and there are always a few who will sweep aside all scruples in the interests of the business.
This post from The Jobbing Doctor is fairly standard stuff. One of the few organisations striving to hold this attitude at bay (though to be fair this example is quite possibly outright illegal) is the National Association of Sessional GPs (NASGP).
Rather alarmingly this dropped into my inbox yesterday via our local non-principals group:
I am writing to you to ask for help. NASGP income has been significantly affected by a marked reduction in income from new members joining, an affect that we think is probably due to the free GP newspapers – Pulse and GP – stopping distribution to the vast majority of Sessional GPs. In the 11 years since I founded the NASGP, the financial situation has never been so precarious.
But with over 40% of all GPs being Sessional GPs (25% locums and 17% salaried GPs), it’s never been a more important time for us to have our own organisation to represent us.
We urgently need more members to join your organisation – the more we have, the more we can do. With the revalidation process beginning in under 12 months time, we must be in a strong position to secure an equitable system for Sessional GPs. And with a larger membership we will be far better placed to assist the huge number of salaried GPs that find themselves in extremely awkward (how’s that for a euphemism?!) contractual situations without adequate representation (locally or nationally) from an independent body.
Our survey into the number of members of groups earlier this year revealed that there are approximately 4,000 sessional GPs belonging to these groups (compared to 1,100 NASGP members and 15,000 nationwide). We need as many of these members to join us as possible, and we ask you to please ask as many of your members to join us as you can.
Joining is simple at www.nasgp.org.uk/join – or we can post you some paper forms.
With very best wishes as always,
Richard
Dr Richard Fieldhouse
NASGP CEO
ceo@nasgp.org.ukds
So if you are a non-principal GP – do the right thing and give ‘em your support.
