The under-representation of salaried and sessional GPs in medical politics risks pulling the profession apart, according to a Londonwide LMCs report.

The term salaried GP is itself demeaning as it implies a lower status. For the patients and the staff it would look that he is an employee on a lower grade. The salaried GPs have no career status or security.They do bulk of the difficult jobs for the practice.There are some practices where they have been treated well.The salaried GPs should have similar career plan like that for hospital doctors. At the moment these GPs are working as a long locum without any job security. Also there are young GPs who would prefer a salaried post .

Unfortunately, the one thing that most members of the medical profession can be relied upon to do is to slit another's throat if personal profit or self advancement is at stake.

If the government keeps insisting on removing the cash from the practice income then the partners will continue to see a fall in income. The salaried position will be put in an even more tenuous position. Its the Darzian Economics of Primary Care coming into effect (to coin a new phrase). Don't expect it to get better any time soon. Partners have been fighting those above them for some time. Don't expect it to be any easier for those in a position of less (non-clinical) responsibilty!

Exploited salaried GPs- welcome to the world of Practice Nurses ( and other practice staff) We too work without job security, and are at the mercy of GP employers keen to maximixe personal profit from delivering primary care. Sadly, GPs are allowed to set down their own Terms and Conditions of service for practice staff, many paying scant regard to AfC. Such employment practices make me fearless about Darzi changes. Working for Richard Branson in a Virgin Polyclinic doesn't seem to be a bad option at all- as long as he pays into my NHS Pension Scheme.

I couldn't agree more. No one ever speaks up for practice staff. I'd be happy to have a regular salary. I've been a Medical Secretary at my local surgery for more than two years, with no contract (due to a PCT employment freeze while our surgery was being sold-off), no sick pay, no holiday pay, no NHS pension and absolutely no job security. The PCT made me register as self-employed, even though they were the only people I worked for. If I want to go on any training courses, I have to pay for them out of my own pocket. I do feel sorry for salaried GPs, as I know how they feel in my own surgery, now that we've been sold to GPs from another practice. I just wish that someone out there would also feel sorry enough for surgery staff to at least give us a mention, as we're also feeling hard done by.

I have several times approached my local LMC to participate in being elected to represent the interests of portfolio GP's Much interest everytime I phone, but never ever a single letter starting the process off. It amazes me that portfolio GP's from adjacent PCT's allow the appraisal payment to vary so much without kicking up a fuss.... I feel that the old style relaxed locum doctors are an endangered soon to be extinct species, due to excessive micro management and the multiplicity of Computer systems. Practice Managers seem unable to empathise (or sympathise) with a locum unfamiliar with yet another system which is far from being "intuitive" Anyone interested in more.. e-mail me at mmontrose@doctors.org.uk