DAUK co-chairs Dr Matt Kneale and Ms Helen Fernandes wrote to NHS England over the planned changes, which were due to come into effect on 17 August.

The changes would mean that when a user leaves an NHS organisation to join another, they would only take their email address while their data, permissions and access would be archived with the former organisation.

Dr Kneale and Ms Fernandes said that while DAUK supported the proper protection of patient and confidential information, doctors must not lose access to essential work communications when moving between NHS roles or organisations.

Now Chris Parsons, NHS England deputy director collaboration services, has written to DAUK to say it is pausing the planned implementation ahead of a meeting with the association.

Implementation paused

He apologised ‘for any distress and uncertainty this has caused’, and said: “Following feedback received from the Doctors’ Association UK (DAUK) and individual doctors over the weekend, we have decided to pause the planned implementation of the replacement Joiner Leaver and Transfer process on NHS.net Connect.”

He said NHS England was ‘considering additional technical measures, reviewing and updating our guidance, and developing clearer information for staff undertaking learning pathways or moving between organisations as part of regular rotations’. 

Dr Kneale said: “We are grateful for this swift, receptive response. The process must work safely for patients, staff and rotating doctors.”

Read the letter from Chris Parsons, NHS England deputy director collaboration services.

DAUK committee members are all volunteers and campaign on issues facing frontline doctors in their own time. Please support our work by joining DAUK or donating to our GoFundMe.

The changes would mean that when a user leaves an NHS organisation to join another, they would only take their email address while their data, permissions and access would be archived with the former organisation.

They were due to come into effect on 17 August.

In a letter to NHS England, co-chairs Dr Matt Kneale and Ms Helen Fernandes said that while DAUK supports the proper protection of patient and confidential information, but that doctors must not lose access to essential work communications when moving between NHS roles or organisations.

Dr Kneale said: “The changes may particularly affect rotational doctors, locums and doctors with more than one NHS role.
“We have asked for implementation to be paused while key safeguards are agreed.

“These include no preventable gap in access, clear guidance and urgent support, and safe arrangements for professional records and material connected with whistleblowing.”

Read the letter.

DAUK committee members are all volunteers and campaign on issues facing frontline doctors in their own time. Please support our work by joining DAUK or donating to our GoFundMe.

Picture credit: Sasun Bughdaryan on Unsplash

Dr Sarah Jacques and Dr Steve Taylor will continue as DAUK’s GP co-leads.

Dr Shonelly Novintan is DAUK’s learn Not Blame lead, Dr Matt Lee is sustainability lead and Dr Victoria Zaslona is SAS lead.

DAUK would like to express our profound thanks to Dr Ellen Welch, who has taken a step back from her role as vice chair but will continue to work on DAUK’s committee, and to Dr Pusho Hossain, for her incredible work as IMG lead, which included being the driving force behind the Overseas NHS Workers’ Day.

The AGM heard a round-up of some of DAUK’s work and achievements.

General practice

It’s been an incredibly busy year for the GP committee at a time when general practice is facing unprecedented pressures.

We continue to campaign and highlight the issues facing general practice from the GP contract to employment opportunities, from funding to collective action.

The ‘Your GP, Here For You’ campaign called for a contract that puts patients at the centre of care. It has provided a positive vision for general practice through continuity of care and sustainable funding.

The GP team lobbied the government over the GP contract with a letter to the health secretary signed by hundreds of GPs and patients.

More recently, co-leads Dr Steve Taylor and Dr Sarah Jacques wrote to the health secretary calling for action to improve patient safety following coroners’ findings into the deaths of two children has made headlines in medical news media.

They have represented DAUK at pharmacy events and conferences, building relationships across healthcare while advocating for greater investment in primary care.

The GP committee is an increasingly influential voice in national discussions, providing constructive policy solutions.

Members contribute extensively to the national media and professional publications, while continuing to engage directly with politicians and policymakers.

Fit Note policy

The GMC

We continue to hold the GMC to account.

We have been a leading opponent of government proposals to retain and expand the General Medical Council’s power to appeal Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service decisions.

Working alongside thirteen other medical organisations, we wrote to health minister Karin Smyth to reconsider the proposals, arguing they undermine confidence in independent regulation.

Physician associates

We continue to highlight the roles of physician associates (PAs) and anaesthesia associates (AAs) and contribute to national discourse.

We have given strong support to Anaesthetists United’s (AU) high-profile legal challenge and expressed our ‘extreme disappointment’ at the High Court dismissing a judicial review of the GMC’s regulation of the roles.

Climate and health

The climate crisis has become an increasingly important patient safety issue.

During June’s heatwave, we surveyed healthcare professionals across the NHS, documenting unsafe temperatures affecting staff and patients.

We shared initial findings and the full report with the media, which attracted extensive national coverage.

We shared the findings with government and called for climate resilience to become a national health priority and for practical investment in NHS infrastructure to protect patients and staff during increasingly frequent extreme weather events.

We’ve collaborated with the National Emergency Briefing on its climate crisis film. We attended the original screening at Westminster, held our own online showing, and encouraged doctors to host one in their healthcare settings.

Our health, Our Planet celebrated its first birthday. It was accessed by more than 3,500 users from more than 80 countries in the first 12 months.

Medical students

Medical student members responded with force to then health secretary Wes Streeting’s comments that doctors were ‘moaning minnies’ and ‘juvenile delinquents’.
DAUK backed a complaint to the prime minister and medical students took to our website to make their voices heard.

We continue to raise the issue of bottlenecks in training and issues around placeholder roles.

Indeed, blogs by our medical students on the issue of bottlenecks in specialty training was referenced in a House of Lords briefing ahead of a debate on government plans for resident doctor training posts.

We backed the Times and Sunday Times campaign End the Graduate Rip-Off, which demands urgent reform of the student loan system in England and Wales.

Dr Taylor spoke to the Times for their campaign article highlighting the burden of student debt on medics, blogged on the issue, and was vocal on social media.

Medical Training (Prioritisation) Bill

We responded to the publication of the Medical Training Bill by recognising the pressure on medical training and employment in the NHS.

Our response said that the shortage of training opportunities was  the direct result of poor workforce planning by successive governments, despite our repeated warnings. We also questioned the fairness of changing prioritisation criteria midway through the process.

A fair and effective workforce strategy must be based on long-term planning, expansion of training posts, and policies that treat doctors with consistency and respect, we said.

Palantir and patient data

Over the past year, DAUK has remained a leading clinical voice advocating for the safe and ethical use of patient data.

Led by Dr David Nicholl, we have continued our long-standing opposition to Palantir’s involvement in the Federated Data Platform with Our Data, Our NHS campaign.

Working alongside Foxglove and other campaign groups, we argue Palantir’s involvement erodes public trust and does not provide value for money.

Dr Nicholl has highlighted the issue in national newspapers and radio interviews, and hosted a briefing in Westminster for MPs.

Last month we welcomed the publication of the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee’s report.

It raised significant concerns about the growing role of Palantir in public services and the NHS.

NHS Domestic Abuse Awareness Day

Working with the Medical Women’s Federation, we launched the first NHS Domestic Abuse Awareness Day in December.

An incredible amount of work went into it from Dr Ellen Welch and Dr Jacques with medical organisations across the country, including the BMA, getting involved.

Healthcare workers shared their powerful stories in the media, in particular the BMJ, and Dr Welch and Dr Jacques explored issues around domestic abuse on a podcast.

Not The NHS Again!

Dr Taylor, in collaboration with Keep Our NHS Public, has launched the Not The NHS Again! Podcast.

The podcast dives deep into the issues facing the NHS, healthcare workers, and patients.

Released on Spotify and YouTube every Friday, it features discussions with campaigners and healthcare experts.

Media

DAUK and our committee members continue to be seen by journalists as trusted sources and authoritative voices to comment on issues.

In the week before the AGM alone, our work surveying healthcare workers about conditions in the heatwave has been covered in the national press, healthcare publications, and national TV.

We regularly contribute to articles and broadcasts, and provide briefings and background material to journalists.

We are proactive in putting out comment on issues on our website and social media, and sending directly to journalists.

And we are quick to respond to requests, with someone being available to speak to a journalist in the majority of cases.

Our GP co-lead Dr Taylor in particular is incredibly active providing comment to general practice publications on GP-related issues.

The DAUK website a document of record and is regularly updated with news, campaigns, activities, and statements.

Social media

We have a strong social media presence which is really helped by how active our committee members are.

Dr Taylor is particularly active on X and helps to amplify our messaging and Dr Ellen Welch really pushes Instagram.

It’s important that our social media is accessed by our committee members, which gives it an authentic and authoritative voice.

Substack

Our Substack offers a vehicle for committee members to blog on issues that interest and affect them. It has also allowed us to repurpose previous blogs and share on social media, and has led to wider discussions and interviews in traditional media.

Collaborative leadership

A great strength of DAUK is our willingness to work collaboratively.

It is a theme that runs through this report, from supporting AU with financial contributions to members invited to present at conferences and events.

Our work on the Federated Data Platform, whistleblowing, the NHS Domestic Abuse Awareness Day, the climate crisis, and the GMC’s powers of appeal, are illustrations of how this collaborative approach has significantly amplified our voice and influence.

And we’ll be continuing that later this year with a joint conference with Doctors For The NHS in York in October.

National Emergency Briefing

Dr Lee and co-chairs Dr Helen Fernandes and Dr Ellen Welch represented DAUK at the briefing. Hundreds of MPs, Peers, and leaders from business, faith, sport, and culture also attended Ten of the UK’s leading experts on the climate and nature crisis delivered the briefing. The the audience with the latest implications for health, food, national security, and the economy. The experts emphasised the threats were no longer distant projections but rapidly accelerating realities that will profoundly affect public health. Dr Lee is the driving force behind Our Health, Our Planet.

Our Health, Our Planet

The website brings together hundreds of resources with the aim of raising greater awareness of the threat of climate change to people’s health and steps they can take to minimise it. Dr Lee said: “Tackling climate change must be the number one health priority for the government. “Doctors and healthcare professionals are already seeing the health impacts of the climate crisis, from heat-related illness to respiratory disease caused by poor air quality. “The public needs to understand the scale of the risks we face and the solutions available, which is why we’re supporting this call for an urgent televised national emergency briefing. “It needs to be backed up by a comprehensive public engagement campaign.

Climate change

“Clear and accurate communication is critical. People need to understand the risks, but also the steps we can take to tackle climate change and to protect health.” Dr Lee is the driving force behind Our Health, Our Planet. The website brings together hundreds of resources with the aim of raising greater awareness of the threat of climate change to people’s health and steps they can take to minimise it. The letter urges the Government and broadcasters to deliver a national emergency briefing and launch a comprehensive public engagement campaign. It concluded: “If delivered urgently and truthfully, with ambition matching the scale of the crisis, this will not only ensure that the public is properly informed but will also offer the protection that knowledge and preparedness bring.

Public engagement campaign

“Such a campaign will resonate with the public, opening up the political space for the action needed. “We are not safe. This is an emergency. Now is the time for courage and to put trust in the public. The UK has a track record of uniting to face difficult challenges. Now is the time to do this again.” Click here to read and sign the letter. DAUK committee members are volunteers and campaign about issues facing doctors in their own time. Please support our work by joining DAUK or donating to our GoFundMe.

10-year plan

Plan for Change will rebuild the NHS to train thousands more family doctors, transform hospital outpatient appointments, and provide personalised care plans for complex needs, Mr Starmer and Mr Streeting said. DAUK’s GP spokesperson Dr Steve Taylor said: “It’s good to see that the Government is working towards bringing more care into the community and has the aim of bringing back the family doctor and ending the 8 am rush. “The problem with the 10-year plan is that it focuses on neighbourhood health centres without acknowledging there are already more than 6,000 neighbourhood health centres in the community called GP practices.

GP crisis

“Investment in GPs and GP practices would be cheaper. We have a crisis of unemployed and underemployed GPs who could step in now to provide care in the community and help solve the two aims of the Labour manifesto. Both of which we and patients agree on. “The danger of a top down, secondary care-led community health structure is that it will be much more costly than reinforcing the current structures. “There are ways to do this in line with Government priorities and Lord Darzi’s review which would solve the problems quickly and with less expensive options. “More care in the community, yes, but not via privately run big centres, where continuity of care, personal support and patient centred care is lost.”

Investment

DAUK chair Ms Helen Fernandes called for more detail on funding. She warned the 10-year plan would be ‘nothing more than political posturing’ without investment. Ms Fernandes said: “We await to see the detail of the 10-year plan but we need the investment in general practice, in the hundreds of unemployed and underemployed GPs, and in our estates to bring it up to scratch. “Without that investment the 10-year plan feels like a Government trying to win political points scoring on big changes to the NHS that promise the public everything but are actually undeliverable.”

Cross-party collaboration

Dr Ellen Welch, DAUK vice chair and a GP in Cumbria, added: “One of the biggest asks DAUK made ahead of the general election was for a cross-party collaborative to focus on the NHS to avoid successive Governments reorganising the service every Cabinet shuffle. “Once again it looks like we’re set for another reorganisation. “What’s frustrating is it’s often the same people who are already in position, doing similar jobs with slightly differently titles, all at great expense. “We already have teams of experts bedded into local communities – they’re called GPs. “It would save a lot of time and reshuffling to involve them and give them the funding to provide adequate care.”

Training and workforce

Dr Matt Kneale, DAUK’s resident doctor and former chair, said: “We await urgent action from the Government to avoid an impending unemployment crisis for British doctors trying to progress into further training, where bottlenecks are already threatening the future workforce. “We also want to see signs the Government is serious about ending the exploitation of international medical graduates (IMGs), who are too often treated as a cash cow with no long-term plan to integrate and retain them. “It is equally important to ensure that IMGs already working and contributing in the UK are not unfairly excluded from future workforce planning. “Training more doctors from medical school through to consultancy is a necessary and welcome step — but with medical students fearing unemployment, facing limited funding in their final years, and struggling to access world-class training under overstretched clinicians, there is still much to do.”

Physician associates and the future of the medical profession

Dr Kneale added: “With the publication of the Leng Review on physician associates and anaesthesia associates imminent, we urge the Government to use this moment to clarify and reaffirm the distinct role of the medically-trained doctor. “There is growing unease in the profession at the direction of travel — towards a fragmented, task-based model of care which implies that ‘anyone can do it’. “Medicine cannot be reduced to a series of checklists and delegated tasks. It is a complex, deeply responsible profession that demands a medical degree and years of further training. “We call on ministers to commit to reversing the de-professionalisation of medical care, and instead recognise that safe, high-quality NHS care must be doctor-led, not protocol-led. “Patients deserve to be treated by properly trained doctors — not just because they expect it, but because it is safer.” Please support our work by joining DAUK or donating to our GoFundMe.

Physician associates

“However, that in itself does not address the fundamental issues of scope and supervision. “Patients interacting with doctors’ assistants, and doctors working alongside them need urgent clarification.” DAUK has raised significant concerns about the regulation and expansion of PA and anaesthesia associate (AA) roles in the NHS. We’ve long called for a pause in their roll out over concerns about patient safety, scope of practice, and their supervision.

Scope and supervision

Dr Ellen Welch, DAUK’s vice chair and a GP, said: “This is a start but we still need to define scope of practice. “We also need to address the doctors’ concerns around supervision and who is responsible for these assistants and their work. “Anaesthetists United returns to the High Court next week with an important court case which aims to do that. “DAUK has given our support with a £30,000 contribution but they still need help funding their crucial challenge.” For more information on how to support this crucial legal challenge, please visit the Anaesthetists United donations page.

Physician associates

DAUK is actively involved in the national discourse around the roles of physician associates (PAs) and anaesthesia associates (AAs). Our committee members have been vocal in the media, raising concerns about the roles and the regulation of PAs and AAs by the General Medical Council (GMC). We briefed politicians in the House of Commons and House of Lords on the draft Anaesthesia Associates and Physician Associates Order 2024, the legislation for the regulation of non-doctors by the GMC, as it passed through Parliament.

Leng review

DAUK also briefed Peers ahead of a Lords debate on the Leng Review, which we welcomed when it was announced in November. We responded to the GMC consultation on their regulation, highlighting the widespread concern on the lack of scope and standards in what is being proposing. The GMC has now begun regulating PAs and AAs, despite a lot of concern around it, with our chair Ms Helen Fernandes saying it will not protect patients or doctors. We have given our support and contributed financially to a legal challenge by Anaesthetists United to the GMC regulation of PAs and AAs. DAUK will not let up on the issue of PAs and AAs. We firmly believe the future of the medical profession and the patients it looks after are at risk.

Dr Jenny Vaughan

We were deeply saddened by the death our dearest friend and colleague Dr Jenny Vaughan. Jenny was a founding member of DAUK, a past chair, and absolutely lived and breathed the Association. There were touching obituaries in the Guardian, the BMJ, and on BBC Radio 4’s Last Word. We are holding a FREE conference in memory of Jenny on 17 May (10am to 4pm) which will feature panels, discussions, and presentations on the causes she was passionate about, as well as some of the challenges facing the NHS.

GP crisis

Our GP committee has been extremely busy highlighting the issues that face general practice. Dr Ellen Welch’s book, Why Can’t I See My GP?, has been a cornerstone of our work with a copy sent to every MP before the general election to help them understand general practice and to make it a key issue. Since the election, copies have been sent to members of the Health Select Committee and to MPs who are also doctors, and we have relaunched our GP manifesto. Dr Welch featured in the Daily Mail, the Sunday Times, i News and the Daily Express, and was interviewed on Sky News, BBC Radio 5Live and BBC Radio Cumbria – among others. Her book prompted debate on ITV’s Good Morning Britain about which types of ailments people should see their GP with, and whether children should be taught in schools how to use and access the NHS.

Manifesto

The GP committee hosted an election briefing during which it unveiled its manifesto for saving general practice. Since the election our GP committee continues to hold the new government to account on issues around general practice. We warned that the increase in employer National Insurance contributions could put financial pressure on already struggling general practices. And while we cautiously welcomed an announcement by the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, for an extra £889m for general practice, we stressed that a huge amount of the money will be swallowed up meeting those National Insurance obligations. DAUK continues to call for funding to help solve the GP crisis. Indeed, we welcomed the findings of the Darzi Review, which advised the government to invest in general practice.

Work with government

We have offered to work with the government on solutions to the issues facing primary care. Our research has found that the equivalent of 3,000 doctors are currently unemployed or underemployed stand ready to work in general practice with the right investment. Committee members have been incredibly busy speaking to the media to highlight the issues facing general practice, not least Dr Sarah Jacques who shared her powerful story of burning out as a GP on BBC Breakfast and in the Telegraph. GP spokesperson Dr Steve Taylor has produced an astonishing wealth of data and statistics on the NHS and general practice, which he shares in his social media network. It’s helped Dr Taylor build an extensive following, including with health journalists, and insert him and DAUK into social media conversations.

NHS Practitioner Health

We highlighted a move by NHS England to stop the funding for hospital doctors referred for help to NHS Practitioner Health. Those who support doctors through Practitioner Health were also told just the week before it was due to be closed. One of our members, at that meeting, anonymously tipped us off. A social media campaign highlighted the NHS England plans in the media and the decision was reversed less than a week later.

Dr Sarah Benn

We were ‘shocked and saddened’ by the sanction handed down to Dr Sarah Benn following her Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service hearing. Dr Benn, a GP for 32 years, was suspended from the medical register following her participation in peaceful climate protests. DAUK’s Dr Steve Taylor wrote a letter to the Times on the case and the discussions around it, saying that protesting would not affect clinical judgement or trustworthiness.

Climate crisis

We joined Plant-Based Health Professionals UK (PBHP UK) to highlight serious concerns from the medical profession over the Government-backed Let’s Eat Balanced campaign. Dr Matt Lee, DAUK’s sustainability lead, and Dr Shireen Kassam, director of PBHP UK, co-wrote an open letter to the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to express their deep concerns at the high level of misinformation within the campaign, and ask for the campaign to be retracted. The letter was reported in a number of publications including the Independent and openDemocracy. A series of guest blogs have been published on our website, including this by Dr Marnie Sethi on the health impact of the climate crisis.

NHS Whistleblowing

DAUK supports the proposal for the Office of the Whistleblower and is working with not for profit organisation Whistleblowers UK to change how society thinks about whistleblowing. Dr David Nicholl is at the forefront of our work in this area to enable healthcare professionals to raise concerns without fear. Dr Nicholl highlighted our work to protect NHS whistleblowers at the Medical Journalists’ Association’s (MJA) symposium on Building Trust in Health Journalism. The symposium was supported by DAUK and gave our committee members the chance to hear presentations on a range of issues, and to make contact and build relationships with key health and medical journalists.

Overseas NHS Workers Day

The NHS came together for our fourth annual Overseas NHS Workers Day on Friday 1 March. Overseas NHS Workers Day is now a firm fixture in the calendar and provides a chance to celebrate the incredible contribution they make to the NHS and the health of our nation. Social media was full of videos, photos and the stories of our international colleagues, using the hashtag #OverseasNHSWorkersDay. Trusts displayed flags representing the countries of birth of overseas staff; colleagues wore blue and green, the colours of the day, and some even had an international-themed lunch. Overseas NHS Workers Day takes place this year on Friday 7 March. Join in the celebrations.

Academic Foundation Jobs

An open letter was sent to all medical school deans urging them to unite in opposition to changes to the allocation of academic foundation jobs. We believe UKFPO’s announcement that all Specialised Foundation Programme (SFP) applications will fall under the Preference Information Allocation system posed serious issues. The frustrations of the many medical students who were allocated to foundation schools outside of their top choices were shared by our student committee. And we requested a formal review of the UKFPO system by the Department of Health.

DAUK in the media

DAUK and our committee members regularly contributed to articles and broadcasts, and provided briefings and background material to journalists working on more in-depth pieces. We are proactive in putting out comment on our website and social media, and sending it direct to journalists. Our members are working hard to build good working relationships with reporers, including though networking at events such as the Medical Journalists’ Association annual awards. Our work to oppose the expansion of PA and AA roles has had real cut through and been highlighted in the national media, and medical websites and publications. And we have had some stunning media coverage for our GP committee, with members regularly invited to comment in health publications such as GP Online and Pulse Online. We look forward to continuing to advocate for doctors, patients, and the profession in 2025. And, if you can, please support our work by becoming a member or donating to our Go Fund Me.

Not fit for purpose

Ms Fernandes said huge concerns still remained about the proposed regulation framework for physician associates. She said: “While regulation of any health professional is welcome, it is only as good as the nature of the regulation. “We urge the GMC to address the concerns raised by DAUK, royal colleges, BMA and swathes of the medical profession. “The proposed framework for regulation is not fit for purpose and will not protect patients. “Nor will it protect doctors, who the GMC hold responsible for the supervision of PAs and AAs, often when they are not necessarily able, aware, or at times appropriate. “We’ve always said that PAs and AAs are and can be valuable members of the healthcare team, but only when their role is compatible with their non-medical training and knowledge, and when appropriately placed by their employer. “Their employer should ensure they are supervised and those that are supervising and responsible have full knowledge of the same.”

Physician associates

Ms Fernandes also responded to ‘misleading information’ about the historic role of PAs in the NHS She said: “PAs in their current form have not been in the NHS for 20 years. “Misleading information about this and belittling concerns about the roles of PAs and AAs by alleging that doctors are being protectionist or outwardly toxic in the social media space is disingenuous. “It does not address the real concerns that we will continue to voice in the name of patient safety.” Support our work by becoming a member or donating to our Go Fund Me.