Conflicting media reports and mixed messages from Springborg and Davis

Conflicting media reports and mixed messages from Springborg and Davis #qldpol #keepourdoctors

HEALTH Minister Lawrence Springborg has declared assistant minister Chris Davis has his full support despite the release of a letter penned by Dr Davis which slams the Newman Government’s doctor contracts.         

Mr Springborg today played down ructions over the letter saying it was a case of the “triumph of emotion over fact”.

He denied Dr Davis’ stance was proof he had failed to properly sell the contracts.

“I think yesterday was fantastic because it gave an opportunity for people who are not aware or who had been subject to information incorrectly, to clearly understand what’s going on,” Mr Springborg said.

“We are dealing with a very emotionally charged environment where people in many cases have been concerned by perception and they have been concerned by the emotions of people that are coming forward and I understand that.”

Dr Davis’ letter called for Mr Springborg to reopen formal negotiations regarding the contracts, indicating the current model could render his position as assistant minister untenable.

But in a statement he released after consulting with the Health Minister, Dr Davis said he was now reassured the negotiations did not need to be reopened.

“The Minister has been able to satisfy all – including me – of his commitment to ensuring fair remuneration for our doctors and patient safety are not only addressed, but vastly improved under the new model,” Dr Davis’ statement said.

“I also acknowledge and support the Minister’s position that while negotiations will not be re-opened, any issues regarding clarity and detail can be addressed through the normal negotiations that occur with the relevant Hospital and Health Services or the individual doctor when discussing the terms of their contract.”

Mr Springborg said he was able to change Dr Davis’ mind with the use of “sheer facts”.

He defended the new contracts, saying doctors would be better off and lashed detractors for spreading misinformation.

“What we are seeing here is the triumph of emotion over fact,” Mr Springborg said.

“Every doctor I have spoken to one on one is comforted with what’s on offer but unfortunately there has always been, as is the case with this, people getting around with the normal hyperbole and scaremongering and misleading information which sometimes creates a state of affairs which is not helpful.”

Earlier it was reported: ASSISTANT Health Minister Chris Davis says he won’t rule out quitting if he feels he isn’t making a difference in his role.

Dr Davis held a short press conference this morning at State Parliament following a dramatic 24 hours in which a letter he penned declaring issues surrounding the Newman Government’s doctor contracts would make his position untenable, was made public.

Dr Davis’s position as Assistant Health Minister is in jeopardy after a letter he wrote condemning his Government’s controversial doctor contracts was made public.

The letter, which states the proposed contracts made his position in the Newman Government “untenable”, was addressed to fellow MPs and leaked to the media.

Today, he said: “I am certainly very happy to be part of the solution … to contribute together with the Minister (Health Minister Lawrence Springborg) who is as committed as I am, very committed indeed to resolving these issues.

“I will not quit for as long as we are making progress.

“If we are not retaining good doctors as a result of something that is a policy decision then I would not be happy having been part of a group who’ve worked so hard to try and get Queensland back on its feet.

“If there was any suggestion that we were going backwards then I could not actually be party to any process that might result in us going backwards.”

Dr Davis said he met with Mr Springborg this morning and while formal negotiations would not be reopened, the minister was committed to working through the issues “around the table”.

“I think we are all on the same page in terms of the vision for Queensland Health.”

He again maintained he stood by his letter.

“It was never intended the letter be released but at the same time I stand by what is essentially the points that have been raised by me and the sole intention of articulating those points was exactly to get resolution because when senior doctors are indicating they may leave and some indeed already have through non-resolution then I know as we all do how difficult it is to replace them so there is a great urgency here,” Dr Davis said.

Dr Davis also released an official statement in which he reiterated that he did not circulate the letter.

“The letter reflects concerns which had been brought to me and required resolution to achieve our objectives in terms of patient care and optimal operation of our health service — and those concerns were adequately addressed in the Party Room.

“As an MP, medical specialist and former President of the AMAQ, I understand that the new contracts are geared to recruiting and retaining medical specialists.

“The Minister has been able to satisfy all — including me — of his commitment to ensuring fair remuneration for our doctors and patient safety are not only addressed, but vastly improved under the new model.

“I acknowledge that the Minister has consistently undertaken to listen and take into account issues that were discussed at the 33 meetings, all attended by the AMAQ, and has consistently said that any emergent issues that develop as these perpetual contracts are rolled out would be addressed through the normal process of consultation.”

Yesterday, senior Government sources maintained the letter was never distributed officially by Dr Davis during yesterday’s party room meeting and he had not resigned.

Dr Davis, former Australian Medical Association Queensland president, told The Courier-Mail last night he stood by the letter despite his decision not to distribute it following a party room debate.

He said he hoped to continue in his role as assistant health minister and would work with the Government to address any concerns surrounding the contracts.

“I fully stand by everything that’s in that letter for the simple reason that like many other people, we work extremely hard to get Queensland Health back in a position from where it was, in a very difficult place and we now how health and hospital boards, we have a very good cross-section of world-class health practitioners, so from that point of view it’s all about retaining that.

“There is an absolute commitment from all parties and very much the entire Government to making sure we have an arrangement that delivers the best outcome.

“If the view of the Premier and my colleagues is that I can contribute to resolving the issues, the perceptions that are out there then I am happy to do so.

“The sole purpose was to highlight in an environment where we are committed to listening, to highlight the message, to highlight the perceived risks from people who I greatly respect, who I have worked with for years … Who just were saying there’s got to be a better way.”

Spokesmen for both Mr Springborg and Premier Campbell Newman denied Dr Davis had tendered his resignation last night.

However, the public hospital specialist contracts are believed to have been the subject of heated discussion during the meeting.

Before entering Parliament at the last election, Dr Davis was the director of geriatric medicine at the Prince Charles Hospital in Brisbane. He is married to a public hospital specialist, Kate Sinclair.

In a stinging criticism of the contracts, Dr Davis’s letter says government reassurances they were “benign and beneficial’’ are not consistent with their detail and tenor.

“Contracts that could harm patients and be detrimental to the broader community make my position in this government untenable,’’ he wrote. “They would also be contrary to my vision for an improved healthcare system as articulated when elected by the people of Stafford.

“Command and control doctor contracts are not governance best practice and furthermore threaten medical professionalism.’’

Dr Davis’s letter confirms that significant numbers of medical specialists rejected the proposed contracts.

“Already some of the best are voting with their feet,’’ it says. “Legal advice, including that from a major medical indemnity organisation has highlighted the risks.

“These include dismissal clauses that could result in patient outcomes being compromised; removal of binding independent arbitration; and the power of the employer to unilaterally vary the contract.’’

In his letter, Dr Davis calls for the Government to return to the negotiating table to work out a framework for “reasonable and fair’’ senior doctor contracts.

“I would be pleased to contribute my experience to such negotiations, having not been involved thus far,’’ he said.

Earlier it was reported, Queensland’s assistant health minister Chris Davis has hit out against the Newman Government’s controversial individual contracts for public hospital specialists.

In an extraordinary letter obtained by The Courier-Mail, the member for Stafford said government reassurances the proposed contracts were “benign and beneficial’’ were not consistent with their detail and tenor.

“Command and control doctor contracts are not governance best practice and furthermore threaten medical professionalism where the prime duty is to the patient,’’ he said.

“Contracts that could harm patients and be detrimental to the broader community make my position in this government untenable. They would also be contrary to my vision for an improved healthcare system as articulated when elected by the people of Stafford.

“To my knowledge, my local LNP members are as concerned by the current doctor contracts as I am.’’

Dr Davis’s letter confirmed significant numbers of senior doctors familiar with the detail of the government’s proposed contracts had rejected them.

“Already some of the best are voting with their feet,’’ he said. “Legal advice, including that from a major medical indemnity organisation has highlighted the risks,’’ he said.

“These include dismissal clauses that could result in patient outcomes being compromised, removal of binding independent arbitration; and the power of the employer to unilaterally vary the contract.’’

Before entering State Parliament at the last election, Dr Davis was the Director of Geriatric Medicine at the Prince Charles Hospital in Brisbane. He is a former Australian Medical Association Queensland president and is married to a public hospital specialist, Kate Sinclair.

Senior medical officers have threatened to leave the public hospital system if the contracts go ahead in their current form, describing them as “draconian’’.

Source: Courier Mail