Nigel Mercer makes a case for investing time, resources and thought into ensuring surgeons are kept happy and motivated – and describes why he thinks a surgical trade union is the way forward.
I am a longstanding believer in the role of trade unions in negotiating workers terms and conditions. As a result, I joined one of the largest medical unions early in my career and remain a member. However, while I value my membership for many reasons, it is increasingly apparent that some of the larger unions do not always adequately represent the unique needs of surgeons, anaesthetists and the entire surgical family. During my career it has become increasingly clear ‘one size does not fit all’.
A surgeon is, not to put too fine a point on it, an ‘expensive piece of kit’. As with any investment, it is crucial that a surgeon is well-maintained, motivated, and works well. The direct impact of not investing the time and resources required to look after the surgical team is on the patient. And it is the patient that, quite understandably, the public cares about. When patient outcomes are so directly affected by how we look after our surgical teams, why then are unions not working harder to focus on exactly that – looking after the team?
As the Confederation of British Surgery (CBS) President, Mark Henley, outlined in September, 2024, in his open letter to The Times, there was (and still is) ‘growing malaise’ in the profession not exclusively linked to pay. Why, then, do the larger trades unions insist on vocally striking mainly over pay, leaving the arguably more crucial issues to fester, unaddressed?
Most big unions seem to be politically motivated, and policy is, seemingly, underpinned by a political agenda. The headline, ’Surgeons strike over lack of inclusion and contribution in hospital management’ may not have the same impact as one which focusses more closely on the politics of pay and the NHS budget, which is language the public is reactive to. However, it captures a crucial aspect of our working lives and presents a challenge we should expect our trade union to address. The challenges we face as surgeons go beyond pay. They touch on how we are valued and included in decision-making processes that affect patient care and the efficiency of our operating theatres.
Efficient operating theatres mean decreased waiting lists. Nobody can argue that this isn’t crucial for positive patient outcomes. CBS is the voice of the surgical team, and ‘party politics’ are not on its agenda. This is why being a founding member of this trade union is undoubtedly one of the best professional decisions I have made. It’s about making a real difference where it counts.
Consultant plastic surgeon Nigel Mercer is former president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS), the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS) and the Federation of Specialist Surgical Associations (FSSA). He is also a founding member of the Confederation of British Surgery, the UK’s sole surgical trade union.
