FAO Medical Associate Professionals,
As some of you will be aware, there has been a growing number of cases in which members of our Medical Associate Professions (MAPs) are presenting to UMAPs with a need for legal counsel. Earlier this year, we published this documentation to aid MAPs understand their rights and for employers to understand their responsibilities.
Despite the alarming number of recent articles about MAPs in the press; these legal cases, we must stress, are not related to patient care or fitness to practice. We are not aware of any increase to, or disproportionately high number of, FtP cases for MAPs.
We are dismayed to share that the growing number of cases relate, instead, to employment disputes in which employers have failed to uphold their legal obligations and responsibilities. The recent RCGP survey indicated that as many as 25% of GP Partner respondents were not meeting GMC, CQC and employment law requirements to MAP employees.
Our recent member survey highlighted an increasingly hostile work environment for MAPs. Unfortunately, the growing number of MAPs requiring legal counsel and progressing to employment tribunals is a manifestation of this increased hostility.
These cases should concern anyone employed within a healthcare setting. The treatment of Medical Associate Professionals is an issue of workplace rights, dignity and patient safety. A hostile work environment is an unsafe work environment. If it can be sanctioned for one professional group, it can be sanctioned for others.
When employers are reckless with their legal and professional responsibilities toward Anaesthesia and Physician Associates, UMAPs will be there for you.
We will bring formal legal action where necessary, to challenge the illegal treatment of MAPs by their employers, including at employer tribunal. I can now share that we are in the initial phase of bringing several of these cases to tribunal and we have received a merit assessment for every case we seek to take forward. So far, these are very favourable to our members.
Now we need you to stand together with your Anaesthesia and Physician Associate colleagues by joining us. We need your collective voices and we need your membership with UMAPs. Together, we can fight for your rights as a strong, professional and independent union in formation.
By joining UMAPs you are not only protecting your colleagues and your profession, you are safeguarding your own future.
Please join UMAPs today: https://umaps.org.uk/umaps-membership/
Yours sincerely,
PA Stephen Nash
Chief Executive, Acting General Secretary
United Medical Associate Professionals (UMAPs)
