2024 has been another incredibly busy year for the Doctors’ Association UK (DAUK) – as our review of the year shows.
Our volunteer team of frontline NHS doctors has worked extremely hard to advocate for the profession and for patients.
As the year draws to an end, we wish you a happy New Year and reflect on 2024 and some of our successes and achievements.
And please support our work by becoming a member or donating to our Go Fund Me.
Physician associates
DAUK is actively involved in the national discourse around the roles of physician associates (PAs) and anaesthesia associates (AAs).
Our committee members have been vocal in the media, raising concerns about the roles and the regulation of PAs and AAs by the General Medical Council (GMC).
We briefed politicians in the House of Commons and House of Lords on the draft Anaesthesia Associates and Physician Associates Order 2024, the legislation for the regulation of non-doctors by the GMC, as it passed through Parliament.
Leng review
DAUK also briefed Peers ahead of a Lords debate on the Leng Review, which we welcomed when it was announced in November.
We responded to the GMC consultation on their regulation, highlighting the widespread concern on the lack of scope and standards in what is being proposing.
The GMC has now begun regulating PAs and AAs, despite a lot of concern around it, with our chair Ms Helen Fernandes saying it will not protect patients or doctors.
We have given our support and contributed financially to a legal challenge by Anaesthetists United to the GMC regulation of PAs and AAs.
DAUK will not let up on the issue of PAs and AAs. We firmly believe the future of the medical profession and the patients it looks after are at risk.
Dr Jenny Vaughan
We were deeply saddened by the death our dearest friend and colleague Dr Jenny Vaughan.
Jenny was a founding member of DAUK, a past chair, and absolutely lived and breathed the Association.
There were touching obituaries in the Guardian, the BMJ, and on BBC Radio 4’s Last Word.
We are holding a FREE conference in memory of Jenny on 17 May (10am to 4pm) which will feature panels, discussions, and presentations on the causes she was passionate about, as well as some of the challenges facing the NHS.
GP crisis
Our GP committee has been extremely busy highlighting the issues that face general practice.
Dr Ellen Welch’s book, Why Can’t I See My GP?, has been a cornerstone of our work with a copy sent to every MP before the general election to help them understand general practice and to make it a key issue.
Since the election, copies have been sent to members of the Health Select Committee and to MPs who are also doctors, and we have relaunched our GP manifesto.
Dr Welch featured in the Daily Mail, the Sunday Times, i News and the Daily Express, and was interviewed on Sky News, BBC Radio 5Live and BBC Radio Cumbria – among others.
Her book prompted debate on ITV’s Good Morning Britain about which types of ailments people should see their GP with, and whether children should be taught in schools how to use and access the NHS.
Manifesto
The GP committee hosted an election briefing during which it unveiled its manifesto for saving general practice.
Since the election our GP committee continues to hold the new government to account on issues around general practice.
We warned that the increase in employer National Insurance contributions could put financial pressure on already struggling general practices.
And while we cautiously welcomed an announcement by the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, for an extra £889m for general practice, we stressed that a huge amount of the money will be swallowed up meeting those National Insurance obligations.
DAUK continues to call for funding to help solve the GP crisis. Indeed, we welcomed the findings of the Darzi Review, which advised the government to invest in general practice.
Work with government
We have offered to work with the government on solutions to the issues facing primary care.
Our research has found that the equivalent of 3,000 doctors are currently unemployed or underemployed stand ready to work in general practice with the right investment.
Committee members have been incredibly busy speaking to the media to highlight the issues facing general practice, not least Dr Sarah Jacques who shared her powerful story of burning out as a GP on BBC Breakfast and in the Telegraph.
GP spokesperson Dr Steve Taylor has produced an astonishing wealth of data and statistics on the NHS and general practice, which he shares in his social media network.
It’s helped Dr Taylor build an extensive following, including with health journalists, and insert him and DAUK into social media conversations.
NHS Practitioner Health
We highlighted a move by NHS England to stop the funding for hospital doctors referred for help to NHS Practitioner Health. Those who support doctors through Practitioner Health were also told just the week before it was due to be closed.
One of our members, at that meeting, anonymously tipped us off.
A social media campaign highlighted the NHS England plans in the media and the decision was reversed less than a week later.
Dr Sarah Benn
We were ‘shocked and saddened’ by the sanction handed down to Dr Sarah Benn following her Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service hearing.
Dr Benn, a GP for 32 years, was suspended from the medical register following her participation in peaceful climate protests.
DAUK’s Dr Steve Taylor wrote a letter to the Times on the case and the discussions around it, saying that protesting would not affect clinical judgement or trustworthiness.
Climate crisis
We joined Plant-Based Health Professionals UK (PBHP UK) to highlight serious concerns from the medical profession over the Government-backed Let’s Eat Balanced campaign.
Dr Matt Lee, DAUK’s sustainability lead, and Dr Shireen Kassam, director of PBHP UK, co-wrote an open letter to the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to express their deep concerns at the high level of misinformation within the campaign, and ask for the campaign to be retracted.
The letter was reported in a number of publications including the Independent and openDemocracy.
A series of guest blogs have been published on our website, including this by Dr Marnie Sethi on the health impact of the climate crisis.
NHS Whistleblowing
DAUK supports the proposal for the Office of the Whistleblower and is working with not for profit organisation Whistleblowers UK to change how society thinks about whistleblowing.
Dr David Nicholl is at the forefront of our work in this area to enable healthcare professionals to raise concerns without fear.
Dr Nicholl highlighted our work to protect NHS whistleblowers at the Medical Journalists’ Association’s (MJA) symposium on Building Trust in Health Journalism.
The symposium was supported by DAUK and gave our committee members the chance to hear presentations on a range of issues, and to make contact and build relationships with key health and medical journalists.
Overseas NHS Workers Day
The NHS came together for our fourth annual Overseas NHS Workers Day on Friday 1 March.
Overseas NHS Workers Day is now a firm fixture in the calendar and provides a chance to celebrate the incredible contribution they make to the NHS and the health of our nation.
Social media was full of videos, photos and the stories of our international colleagues, using the hashtag #OverseasNHSWorkersDay.
Trusts displayed flags representing the countries of birth of overseas staff; colleagues wore blue and green, the colours of the day, and some even had an international-themed lunch.
Overseas NHS Workers Day takes place this year on Friday 7 March. Join in the celebrations.
Academic Foundation Jobs
An open letter was sent to all medical school deans urging them to unite in opposition to changes to the allocation of academic foundation jobs.
We believe UKFPO’s announcement that all Specialised Foundation Programme (SFP) applications will fall under the Preference Information Allocation system posed serious issues.
The frustrations of the many medical students who were allocated to foundation schools outside of their top choices were shared by our student committee.
And we requested a formal review of the UKFPO system by the Department of Health.
DAUK in the media
DAUK and our committee members regularly contributed to articles and broadcasts, and provided briefings and background material to journalists working on more in-depth pieces.
We are proactive in putting out comment on our website and social media, and sending it direct to journalists.
Our members are working hard to build good working relationships with reporers, including though networking at events such as the Medical Journalists’ Association annual awards.
Our work to oppose the expansion of PA and AA roles has had real cut through and been highlighted in the national media, and medical websites and publications.
And we have had some stunning media coverage for our GP committee, with members regularly invited to comment in health publications such as GP Online and Pulse Online.
We look forward to continuing to advocate for doctors, patients, and the profession in 2025.
And, if you can, please support our work by becoming a member or donating to our Go Fund Me.
