College invites fellows and members to have their say on whether it should reject bill, after warnings at EGM
The Royal College of Physicians is sending out a survey to all 26,000 members and fellows on whether it should formally reject the NHS bill.
The survey is the result of an impassioned and highly unusual EGM of the college last week, during which very strong opposition to the bill was voiced by most of the 189 attendees.
Although 89% of those present at the EGM said they believed the reforms would "damage the NHS and the health of the public in England", and 79% called on the RCP to demand its withdrawal, those votes were non-binding.
The meeting agreed by 80% to 16%, with 4% abstaining, to survey the membership to ensure policy was decided by most of the country's hospital doctors, rather than a small group.
The survey goes out with a covering letter in which the college president, Sir Richard Thompson, calls for as many members as possible to take part.
"The RCP urges all fellows and members to record your views on whether the RCP should formally reject the bill, and to indicate how you would like the RCP to proceed," he says. "We would also like you to specify your key concerns regarding the bill and the wider health landscape. Your responses are vital in assisting your council to determine our future strategy. The more feedback we obtain from members and fellows, the stronger our mandate and message will be."
The medical royal colleges are standard-setting and accrediting bodies, not trade unions. All have been under pressure from their members to take a stand over the bill.
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health held a vote that had a poor turnout but a big majority calling for withdrawal. The Faculty of Public Health surveyed its members and three-quarters of the 40% who took part demanded complete withdrawal. The Royal College of Radiologists has opposed the bill, and this week both the Royal College of Surgeons and Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists will meet to decide whether to come out against it.
The British Medical Association, Royal College of Nursing and Royal College of Midwives have been opposed for some time and were not invited to David Cameron's recent summit meeting on the bill.