成人快手

NHS Western Isles have admitted that their financial worries are not exactly helped by the deal given to a Barra GP: 拢300,000 per year. That is one tenth of the Health Board's current deficit.

The reason for this golden deal is that the doctor in question has to work alone, i.e. is on-call practically 24/7. Retention of professionals is a recognised problem within these islands. Hospital doctors training to be a consultant go through a number of hospitals in order to build up professional competence and experience. In some circles, a posting in Stornoway or Benbecula is regarded as a dead-end post, and not conducive to your career.

Getting consultants to come here on a permanent basis is equally difficult, for same reasons. Whilst the recruitment procedure takes its course, locums (temporary staff) are taken on to fill the gap. Late 2005, the cost of this was quoted as up to 拢11,000 per week. The Health Board has insisted that this only occurred during 4 weeks.

However, solving the recruitment and retention problems by paying professionals astronomical sums actually solves nothing. It is bad management, as it exacerbates the existing funding crisis. How the Health Minister can go on record to defend such practices remains beyond me.