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Examples of issues MWF are currently campaigning on:


1. Flexible Career Scheme (FCS)
The FCS proved a great success from 2001 to 2005, both in general practice and in hospital medicine, ensuring that women doctors were not lost from the workforce after a career break. In 2005 central funding for this scheme was devolved to local arrangements, and over the months was gradually phased out completely. With the increasing number of women entering medicine, this situation is unacceptable. The MWF is in discussions with the Department of Health, and MWF representatives on key committees raise the issue at every opportunity. We have collated data for the House of Commons Health Select Committee. Significant progress is the acknowledgement, in the Gold Guide to specialty training, that trainees can take an unpaid career break of up to 2 years and be out of programme (OOPC) but still retain their training number.

 

2. Returner and Retainer Schemes / Career Breaks
The retainer and returner schemes, which MWF helped to develop, are also under grave threat. Our aim is to develop a coherent strategy to enable women doctors to have time off to have children and to retain their foothold on the career ladder. The solution should be advantageous both to the woman doctor and to her employer.

 

3. Flexible Training
This should be available for all those with family responsibilities. The current waiting times are unacceptable and there are insufficient positions available.

 

4. Widowers’ Pensions
Any money earned by a woman prior to 1988 does not count towards her widower’s pension, in stark contrast to that earned by a man. This anomaly applies not only to women doctors, but to all women working in the NHS. PLEASE NOTE if you are female and joined the NHS pension scheme prior to 31st March 2008, this situation will apply to you. In order to rectify it you must either pay extra contributions BEFORE 1st June 2009 or transfer to the new NHS pension scheme during the choice exercise which is due to begin in January 2010. Please click here to read a statement issued for MWF by the BMA on this matter>>.

 

Many women are now the main breadwinner, and this situation is unjust and inequitable. MWF has been lobbying the NHS Pensions Agency to correct this inequality, and, in conjunction with the BMA Pensions Department, are preparing a test case to be taken to the European Court of Human Rights.

 

5. Maternity Leave
Payments for a locum in general practice, to cover a woman doctor during maternity leave, are at the discretion of the local Primary Care Trust (PCT). Several PCTs have decided to pay nothing at all towards these locum costs (which are considerable). This will deter practices from employing a woman doctor. MWF is campaigning for a national agreement, so that locum payments are uniform across the UK and are not left to the discretion of the PCT, to ensure that practices are not penalised for employing a woman doctor.

 

6. Clinical Excellence Awards
MWF have had meetings with the Advisory Committee on Clinical Excellence Awards (ACCEA) to ensure that women doctors are fairly represented on the committees which allocate the awards. We are a nominating body for the awards and last year five out of our seven nominees were successful.

 

7. Women in Academic Medicine
MWF have collected data about gender distribution in academic medicine, which shows that only ten per cent of professors are female and two medical schools have no female professors at all. We have highlighted the specific issues necessary to attract women into academic medicine to the government and to the Department of Health. At our instigation, a new working group of the BMA has been set up to address the issues.

 

8. Availability of Childcare
MWF have representatives on the BMA ‘Family Strategy Working Group – an Ideal Framework for Childcare Support in the NHS’, and we have leaflets which give sources of support at student and junior doctor level.

 

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