Re: Clinical Scientist posts in UK NHS Cytology laboratories

From:RUSS ALLISON <Allison@Cardiff.ac.uk>

Dear Richard,
There is some scaremongering over this issue!

You are right to state that Clinical Scientists (in particular clinical 
biochemists) have slammed their particular door on this - because 
there was no evidence that people who were paid on the Grade C 
Clinical Scientist grade had undergone an approved training 
scheme.  The Assoc of Clinical Biochemists very kindly offered to 
assess the appropriateness of the peolpe appointed as diagnostic 
cytologists (note I do not use capital letters).  I think I was not 
alone in believing that would undermine the appointments rather 
than reinforce them.
The reality is that there is a significant number of people out there 
who have been doing this job for many, many years - and pretty 
damn well at that.  The service is better off with than without them.  
Indeed, the cervical (and maybe other) screening programmes 
would have collapsed in those areas without them.

The Royal College of Pathologists has been involved in discussions 
with both the Institute and the Association and reached agreement 
upon the terms, experience and qualification necessary for senior 
biomedical scientists to undertake a more comprehensive role in 
diagnostic cytology.

A slight difficulty has arisen within CPSM I believe, in particular 
with the Code of Conduct and with "competence".

However, that will not - indeed, cannot - allow cytology to come to 
a grinding halt.  You do not have to change the service every time 
there is a development.  If so, the government is going to be in one 
"hell of a mess" with its various proposals for job/role expansion as 
a means of saving the NHS!  Tht regulations have to be adjusted in 
line with current and developing practice.  If we were starting now, 
we would not draw the lines in the same place as we did in 1988!!

Look at the developing role expansion for nurses thru'out the NHS.  
They will still be called nurses!!!  No-one is expecting them to be 
called doctors because their role has expanded.  And no-one is 
calling doctors anything different because of what nurses are doing.


Russ Allison, 
Dental School
Cardiff
Wales



<< Previous Message | Next Message >>