Health Minister Lawrence Springborg intervenes in doctor contract dispute

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THE public hospital doctors’ contract dispute is on the brink of resolution after a major breakthrough last night. #qldpol #smoqld #keepourdoctors

Health Minister Lawrence Springborg personally intervened in the crisis by meeting with doctor representatives.

Mr Springborg conceded significant ground during the talks, offering solutions that will be put before a meeting of medical specialists in Brisbane tomorrow night.

Australian Medical Association president Steve Hambleton was hopeful after the talks but stopped short of saying a deal had been struck.

“We welcome the minister’s intervention. For the first time, we’re saying there’s potential solutions on offer,’’ Dr Hambleton said. “We’ve all agreed that no one wants to see any further damage to the Queensland health system.’’

Mr Springborg has said he will issue a ministerial directive removing the power of the Queensland Health Director-General to alter an employment agreement in a detrimental way.

He said the directive could be enshrined into the Hospital and Health Boards Act “if it’s legally possible’’.

The minister has also offered to provide an addendum to the contracts to address specific concerns raised by the medical profession, including the establishment of a binding dispute resolution process to deal with unfair dismissal.

He said key performance indicators should be by agreement between hospital managers and doctors, removing a concern that KPIs could compromise patient care.

Mr Springborg said he had entered the negotiations with doctors over individual contracts “with an abundance of good faith’’.

“We’ve always known individual contracts were going to create some concerns,’’ he said. “It’s a new way of ensuring people are remunerated properly, that there’s necessary accountability, enhanced productivity, better patient outcomes.

“I think we’ve found what can be a really positive solution where the protections that people want with the implementation of the individual contracts will be there.’’

Mr Springborg said an advisory group would be set up to review the contracts.

Despite giving ground, Mr Springborg would not pre-judge tomorrow night’s meeting at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.

“That would be completely presumptuous,’’ he said. “But we’ve been able to make some significant headway. It’s now up to the doctors.”

Dr Hambleton said he remained cautious about the meeting, which was expected to be attended by hundreds of senior medical specialists.

Hundreds of doctors have threatened to resign en masse unless their concerns with the contracts are addressed.