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
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