I have discussed with John Heyworth comments on recent list discussions and
have agreed that his views should be posted. I think it is helpful. By the
way I would like to add that last Wednesday on the day the Audit Commission
report was announced I ran into John in Oxford where he was meeting with
regional A&E consultants. As many of you are aware he has been travelling
around the country collecting the opinions of A&E consultants so that the
specialty can be best represented by member's opinions.
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One of the certainties of office is being a target for criticism, perhaps
not entirely justified on this occasion, although I understand colleagues'
concerns.
The media function in an interesting and unpredictable way. Just a few
weeks ago, the Association and specialty achieved an extremely high profile
regarding trolley waits.
In advance of the release of the Audit Commission report, a brief press
release was prepared indicating that I would be available for interview to
present the specialty view. I was subsequently contacted by BBC News,
Newsnight and Channel 4, amongst others.
Following initial discussions, however, two clear facts emerged.
i. Without exception, the news organisations were interested in visiting
departments in London, the area identified in the report as being the most
problematic.
ii. The media perception was that the report was critical of hospital
management and the Government in particular, rather than Emergency
Departments per se.
I think the Audit Commission report should be kept in perspective. Overall,
it supported independently our case that there are significant problems in
our departments which are multi-factorial in nature and need to be urgently
addressed. Interestingly, it may not have been an entire coincidence that
the Audit Commission report was released on the same day as the Government
publication "Reforming Emergency Care" which contains many promising
recommendations to support the development of our specialty.
The launch of the Reforming Emergency Care document was relatively low key
and, indeed, the representatives of the media with whom I spoke were not
aware of its existence! If colleagues have not yet had an opportunity to
review the document, it should be available at the DoH website -
www.doh.gov.uk/capacityplanning. The next step is for the specialty to be
actively involved with the central Emergency Care Implementation Group.
acad-ae-med is a valuable forum for comment and debate. If and when issues
arise of concern to colleagues, then I am always available by e-mail or
phone (023 8079 4121) to discuss the Association position. This should
ensure that discussion at acad-ae-med is informed and constructive.
Best wishes.
John Heyworth
President BAEM
Dr John Ryan
----- Original Message -----
From: Andrew G Hobart <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, October 26, 2001 03:20
Subject: Re: audit commission report
> Re Media Response
>
> It's all a question of timing.
> The media get an embargoed copy of reports like this the day before - or
> at least an embargoed press release or briefing.
> They go to press that night or run it during the day depending on the
> timing of the embargo.
> To be in time to be picked up by the media any comments from BAEM/ FAEM
> need to be out while the journalists are writing their pieces not in
> response to them.
>
> I checked the BAEM website for press releases severl times during the day
> yesterday and as far as I could tell the press release only went up late
> in the evening by which time the story had run and was effectively over.
>
> The BBC quoted Peter Hawker from the BMA not because he knows anything
> about A&E but because the BMA had a press release out before lunchtime
> yesterday.
>
> Later in the day several TV news programs ran pieces including interviews
> with A&E Consultants. I saw Annie Maginnis and someone from one the of
> the many London Hospitals with Middlesex in its title. Both came accross
> very well and helped our cause.
>
> But like Francis I would have liked to see John Heyworth or Ian Anderson
> being interviewed and rebutting the suggestion that it is all our fault
> because we have 10% more doctors than a few years ago and still waits are
> longer.
>
> My suggestions -
>
> Next time there is something big related to A&E don't write the press
> release by committee. Look at how the BMA constructs its press releases.
> Use the same format - it works. Get the press secretary to write it and
> the president to clear it. If they make a cock-up we can vote them out
> but in the meantime they must have the authority to act alone.
>
> Learn to cold call the key media people.
> That means ring BBC health correspondents, ITN, Channel 4 etc. Ring the
> Health correspondents of the Broadsheets.
>
> These people know their stuff and they like to be phoned by people with
> something to say. A quote from a BAEM or FAEM spokesman is likely to be
> used if they git it in time.
>
> Francis says that "it was left to the opposition spokesman on health to
> fight our corner". The politicians are briefed by those who bother to
> contact them. Both Liam Fox and Evan Harris are receptive to detailed
> technical background information.
> When did BAEM last meet with either?
>
> Andrew Hobart
>
>
>
>
> Francis Andrews wrote:
>
> > The list seems to have ben silent regarding the publication of the
> > latest audit commission report on A&E so here goes.
> >
> > Yet again, there seems to have been an absence of anyone 'influential'
> > from the A&E world defending our speciality in the media against some
> > of the inaccuracies of the audit commission report. I listened to BBC
> > radio 4 on the morning of the report publication and it was left to
> > the opposition spokesman on health to fight our corner and state that
> > departments were under pressure because there just simply are not
> > enough beds in the rest of the hospital, which jams up departments. In
> > other news bulletins on the TV and on the web, I didn't see any one
> > from BAEM or a senior (A&E, not gen. medicine) consultant etc being
> > interviewed. The Andrew Foster from the audit commission told radio 4
> > that really, it was poor 'micro' management that was at fault, I think
> > implying the departments themselves-this is echoed throughout in the
> > report. Buried away in the report is the odd admission that actually
> > if all the cubicles in A&E are full, then it is very diifficult to
> > assess new patients. The report feels that this is only a problem
> > occaisionally-more like everyday in most departments surely.
> >
> > The press statement on the BAEM website is watery and I think that yet
> > again, a major opportunity to publicly fight our corner from within
> > the speciality has been lost. Those in infuence within the speciality
> > must have known that this report was coming out and a vigorous and
> > very public defence should have been mounted. If this wasn't thought
> > to be necessary given the report's highly critical main findings, then
> > perhaps the report is right and we as a speciality just cannot get our
> > act together, whether thrombolysing the right patients or organising
> > staffing. Any one else feel mounting despair out there?
> >
> > Francis Andrews FFAEM
> > Liverpool
>
>
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