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GPs still not ready to back NHS plans despite climbdown GPs call for NHS overhaul rethink
(about 4 hours later)
By Nick Triggle Health correspondent, BBC NewsBy Nick Triggle Health correspondent, BBC News
GPs are not yet ready to back the government's NHS plans for England - despite the recent concessions. The re-think over the NHS overhaul in England must not be just a "re-spray job", GP leaders say.
Earlier this week David Cameron outlined a series of changes he was prepared to make to win over critics.Earlier this week David Cameron outlined a series of changes he was prepared to make to win over critics.
But British Medical Association leaders said they were still concerned about competition and warned an "overly bureaucratic system" could be created. But Dr Laurence Buckman, of the British Medical Association, suggested the measures did not go far enough.
The warnings come as hundreds of GPs gather in London for the start of their annual two-day conference. In a speech to the annual GPs conference, he also renewed calls for significant changes, especially to plans around competition.
Hundreds of GPs have gathered in London for the two-day meeting during which a number of critical motions will be debated.
The meeting is taking place just two days after the prime minister set out a number of concessions he was planning to make.The meeting is taking place just two days after the prime minister set out a number of concessions he was planning to make.
Under Health Secretary Andrew Lansley's original plans a consortium of GPs would be given much more responsibility for spending the NHS budget in England, while greater competition with the private sector would be encouraged. Under Health Secretary Andrew Lansley's original plans, consortia of GPs would be given much more responsibility for spending the NHS budget in England, while greater competition within the private sector would be encouraged.
It has been dubbed as the most radical overhaul of the National Health Service since its creation in the 1940s. It has been dubbed as the most radical overhaul of the health service since its creation in the 1940s.
Mr Cameron has now indicated his willingness to include hospital doctors and nurses on the consortia alongside GPs and also says the NHS regulator will have a duty to promote co-operation as well as competition.Mr Cameron has now indicated his willingness to include hospital doctors and nurses on the consortia alongside GPs and also says the NHS regulator will have a duty to promote co-operation as well as competition.
Exercised But Dr Buckman, who is chairman of the BMA's GP committee, said what had been announced so far did not seem to go far enough.
Nonetheless, a series of critical motions about the changes are still due to be debated on Thursday. "He has still not taken away the duty to promote competition. I want politicians of every stripe to understand that we do not need competition to run the NHS. It creates duplication that is wasteful.
GPs attending the conference are expected to say they are still not convinced the plans are the best way forward for the health service. "This bill whether substantially amended or not is going to alter the face of the English NHS forever."
Speaking ahead of the conference, Dr Laurence Buckman, chairman of the BMA's GPs committee, said doctors were still exercised about a number of issues. He also said it was now important that ministers go further with their concessions.
"He [Mr Cameron] did not say he was stopping the enforced competition altogether." More details are expected to emerge next week of how the plans could change when the panel set up to carry out the recent listening exercise hands in its report to cabinet.
Dr Buckman's deputy, Dr Richard Vautrey, agreed. Dr Buckman said: "My plea is please do not let this exercise just be a re-spray job to try to persuade us to accept the unacceptable."
He said there was a fear the changes to competition may actually end up amounting to little more than "window-dressing". The re-think over the NHS overhaul in England must not be just a "re-spray job", GP leaders say.
On the wider concessions, he said: "What they (GPs) are very worried about is the arrangements being put in place could get bogged down in an overly bureaucratic system."
And he added that in the end there could be a "lose-lose" situation whereby the plans were changed in such as way that no-one benefited.
But he said the union was likely to want to wait to see what amendments were made to the bill in Parliament - something not likely until the autumn - before giving its final verdict.
Before Mr Cameron's intervention this week the BMA had said the whole bill underpinning the changes may even need to be scrapped.