“R-E-S-P-E-C-T!!! Find out what it means to me”― Aretha Franklin
Our straw poll would never receive awards for being scientifically robust, but it provides an overview to the opinion of serving and retired officers towards those doctors (aka force medical advisors) employed by police forces – and that overview certainly seems to be at odds to how doctors are viewed by the public at large.
Generally in the United Kingdom, which has been hit by an unprecedented number of medical scandals and transgressions in recent years, doctors still top the polls as the most trustworthy and hardworking of all professionals. An Ipsos MORI recent polling found that doctors were the most trusted profession, with 90 per cent of respondents trusting them to tell the truth. In contrast, just 16 per cent of respondents trusted politicians and 22 per cent trusted journalists to do likewise.
Our survey (for all it’s faults) had representation from all forces except Lincolnshire (perhaps there is Democratic People’s Republic of Lincolnshire that clamps down on Internet access and purposefully prevents its citizens from communicating with the outside world – or more likely maybe there isn’t an issue with ill-health retirements in this force, so there is no incentive for those to look at related social media).
Only 8% of respondents trust their force medical officer.
| Do you trust your force medical adviser?
|
COUNT | PERCENT | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No | 277 | 66% | |||||
| Don’t know him/her | 107 | 26% | |||||
| Yes | 34 | 8% | |||||
Strip out the ‘don’t knows’ and you can see the stark realism that 89% do not trust their force doctor.
And what forces have least trust in the force doctor and mostly make up the blue “no’s”?
And those with the most trust in the force doctor? Due to the low numbers we can show all 34 votes and the vote’s corresponding force individually.
What this all suggests is that police officers at their most vulnerable have no faith in some of these occupational health doctors.
Those clinicians tasked with duties such as promoting healthcare policies and initiatives and advice on medical, health and welfare matters, are neglecting their core duty – to care for people.
There is no sane reason why force medical officers should not have the same high satisfaction rates as their peers in other specialities. However, it seems some have misplaced loyalties to the pleasing of the employer and not the patient or to the furthering of medical excellence.
When they are needed most they are causing deep pain and prolonged suffering . With notable exceptions, some are no longer regarded as the paternalistic figures they once were, but rather as a technical bureaucrat or a gatekeeper with an over-riding deigned reluctance – who begrudges having to deal with those police officers the Job has injured, discarded, disabled and defeated.
They do the bidding of their pay masters. Doctoring, trust, and the oath they all took means nothing to them.
Just as long as they can contort the system and reduce any awards then their masters are happy and they pick up the ‘nice little earner’. What a bunch of prostitutes the medical profession have turned into.
Just in case you forgot “1st do no harm”
Didnt know there was a survey. I would have most definately said there was a trust issue!
That is a damning result of this survey – 89% do not trust their force doctor. That does not say much about this section of their profession, other than they must be doing something suspicious.
I read a previous IODPA blog relating to a presentation by Dr Ralph Simpson and Stephen Mitchell HR. How can an SMP whose role under Police Pension Regulations and Police Injury Benefit regulations talk about saving money, reducing financial burdens. This is in direct conflict with the SMP’s statutory obligation to adjudicate on issues of fact and law by making a medical decision as well as applying case law and regulations.
An SMP not only has to act fairly and impartially but be seen to be doing so, a fundamental tenant of our legal system is that justice is not only done but seen to be done.
How can Dr Sampson, Dr Wallington and others attend the National Attendance Forum a non statutory body with an agenda to reduce injury awards predicated and solely unlawful financial considerations which are equally and immoral ? This forum is attended by HR professionals, Legal services and force FMA’S. Interestingly, it is the attendees of NAMF whose forces have had lost many legal cases, I’d be interested in how much money has been imorally squandered defending the indefensible ? I bet it’s the same forces…….
Quite agree Old Dog. These FMA’s and SMP’s are not to be trusted. I have more faith in criminals on the street than this lot.
The reason Forces went on the offensive, over injury on duty pensions, was to reduce their financial “burden”. The Forces who carried out these unlawful reviews did regard us as a burden, not a former police officer who was unfortunately inured doing his/her job. So why would these health professionals approach their task in such a robust manner? Could it be that they are in it for the money? No, surely not – they are caring Doctors.
There are a group of SMP’s that must travel the country to satisfy rogue Forces, whose sole aim is to reduce the financial burden. If not why have Forces not got their own SMP? Why have I been reviewed by three different SMP’s over the years – all living and working outside my old Force area? At my last review they had difficulty finding an SMP, or rather an SMP who was prepared to do their bidding.
Do I trust my old Force, FMA or any of the SMP’s that they find from somewhere other than in my old Force area? Not a chance.