Report of the Inter-Departmental Committee on Remuneration of Consultants and Specialists.

  • Great Britain. Inter-Departmental Committee on Remuneration of Consultants and Specialists.
Date:
[1948]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the Inter-Departmental Committee on Remuneration of Consultants and Specialists. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    13/32 page 13
    the number of half-days per week which the part-time specialist is required to work, his basic remuneration should be < of the basic remuneration of whole-time specialists of like status, plus one-quarter of = or one-quarter of = of that remuneration, whichever be less.* iE We envisage also that special circumstances might arise where a rate of remuneration for part-time appointments higher than that recommended above should be applied, on a personal and in some cases temporary basis, to individual specialists. For example, acceptance of a part-time contract might depend upon uncertain prospects of building up or maintaining a private practice in a particular locality. We recommend tthat hospital authorities should have freedom to offer at least temporarily a higher rate of remuneration for part-time appointments where such special circumstances exist. 16. Expenses, Superannuation and Holidays There are three further points to which we wish to refer in order to avoid any possibility of misunderstanding. Firstly, throughout our proceedings we have assumed that specialists engaged either whole-time or part-time in a publicly organised service will be paid any sums which represent expenses necessarily and reasonably incurred in the course of their work, and that these sums will be in addition to the salaries recommended. The Evidence Committee has brought to our notice a number of items of expense which must be met if the specialist is to perform his duties efficiently. These include car expenses; expenses of travel apart from the use of a car; the cost of renewal of instruments and other equipment; the cost of books and journals, preparation of scientific papers, and sub- scriptions to professional societies; printing, stationery, postage and telephone costs; expenses of attendance at national and international professional meet- ings; and the expenses of visiting hospitals and clinics at home and abroad, and entertaining visiting colleagues. The expenses might be refunded after they have been incurred, or alter- natively an appropriate allowance for expenses might be attached to the various posts held by specialists and consultants. If the latter course were adopted it would have to be realised that certain expenses would arise which had not been foreseen when the allowance was fixed, e.g., attendance at an international conference, and additional provision would have to be made in such cases. It is presumed that the Inland Revenue authorities would be prepared to consider favourably as legitimate allowances for Income Tax purposes any items of expense which had been approved by a public hospital authority. Secondly, in the above discussions and in the recommendations which we have made, we have assumed that, as in private practice in the past, specialists will have themselves to provide by insurance against death and old age: in so far as this ceases to be the case, adjustment would be necessary. Thirdly, in our discussions and the recommendations we have made we have assumed that in a publicly organised service the specialist would be * The effect of this arrangement may be illustrated as follows: If a specialist engaged part-time in the service contracted to serve 4 half-days per week his basic remuneration would be £1,136, and if he contracted to serve 7 half-days per week his basic remuneration would be £1,818. These figures are on the assumption that if engaged whole-time he would be receiving £2,500.
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