Doctors look to ballot in pay row

Consultants could be balloted on strike action

Hospital consultants in north Wales could be balloted over industrial action in a row over overtime pay.

The British Medical Association said it had been asked to organise the ballot of more than 100 consultants employed by Conwy and Denbighshire NHS Trust.

A contract to pay doctors overtime was agreed by the Welsh Assembly Government over 18 months ago but staff have still not received back-pay.

However, the assembly government and trust said the money would be paid.

Under their contract, consultants agreed to work a minimum of 37.5 hours a week for the NHS, and be paid overtime for any hours worked beyond that.

The trust has now reached agreement with the consultant medical staff about their retrospective payments Ian Bellingham, NHS Trust

However, that money has not been received, the BMA said.

Around 125 consultants work for Conwy and Denbighshire NHS Trust. They are based at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd in Bodelwyddan, Abergele Hospital and HM Stanley at St Asaph.

Staff are worried they may not receive their pay after the Trust was left to pay a £200,000 shortfall from the assembly government.

The assembly government has said the money would be paid but they needed an audit first.

Conwy and Denbighshire NHS Trust said an agreement over funding from the assembly government had already been reached.

"The trust has now reached agreement with the consultant medical staff about their retrospective payments," said Ian Bellingham from the trust.

However, a spokesman for the British Medical Association in Wales said they have been asked to look at balloting staff and they are still "concerned".

"We remain very concerned about the funding arrangements for the consultants contract in Conwy and Denbighshire NHS Trust," he said.

"This has the potential to severely interfere with service providers and the trust's ability to meet the Welsh Assembly Government's target in future," he added.

It said if the payments were made before any industrial action, it would be called off.

The BMA added that it was unlikely to affect patient care but involve action such as a refusal to fill in forms.

A spokesman for the Welsh Assembly Government said: "The assembly has already agreed to fund 1.4 additional sessions per consultant in Conwy and Denbighshire.

"The director of NHS Wales is currently considering the case for increasing this figure in the light of further work undertaken by the Audit Commission in Wales".