NEWS FROM THE MANNIN BRANCH CELTIC LEAGUE
The report we mentioned yesterday that Isle of Man GPs support the ?Dependability? assessments currently being undertaken by the Manx Government can be found here:
The intervention which was helpful to embattled MLC Bill Henderson does not indicate how many of the 40/50 GPs support the process although the letter apparently says ?completely support? so one assumes it?s unanimous.
Such things are important because if you recall our report on the DED Minister saying that IT professionals overwhelmingly supported his work IT work permit relaxation proposals it turned out that only 12 people had responded out of 164 members of the Society which represented that category of worker. Six of the people had reservations but Skelly spun it in Tynwald as support.
Anyway we are sure the view of Doctors on the Island is being properly reported which would seem to put them a bit at odds with their mainland BMA colleagues who took a somewhat different view of the UK based assessment process.
A year ago the chair of the UK BMA Council told Disability News:
?The BMA position remains that the work capability assessment process should be scrapped with immediate effect and replaced with a rigorous and safe system that does not cause avoidable harm to the weakest and most vulnerable people in society.?
The report can be found here:
Manx Doctors relations with government have been stormy in recent years and they were for example very strident opponents of public sector pension?s changes.
Coincidentally Bill Henderson (then an MHK), currently ?hot? handling the Dependability issue was one of the supporters of their case and that of other PS workers. The article here just over a year ago has Bill Henderson speaking out vociferously on the issue:
Subsequently Chris Robertshaw mentioned as being a Minister at the time resigned.
However over the past year medic relationships with government have improved and indeed at a time the fiscal screws were clamped tight across government they won a battle to secure funding for additional GP cover and were quite effusive of this saying:
?that while the agreement was ?nothing to shout about? it was better than the 2014/15 UK contract deal and ?a testament to an expanding working relationship? with the Isle of Man Government.? (See link):
The GPs support for the Treasury Dependability assessments can only strengthen that ?working relationship? one assumes.
Photograph: UK disability protest were BMA said a year ago assessments should be scrapped
BERNARD MOFFATT
Issued by: The Mannin Branch Celtic League
16/03/16
THE CELTIC LEAGUE
The Celtic League established in 1961 has branches in the six Celtic Countries including our own Mannin branch. It promotes cooperation between the countries and campaigns on a range of political, cultural and environmental matters. It highlights human rights abuse, military activity and socio-economic issues
The link for the main web pages is below:
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