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GPs 'no confidence' in NHS policy | |
(1 day later) | |
GPs have given the government a vote of no confidence over its handling of the NHS at their annual conference. | |
Delegates at the British Medical Association's meeting attacked a raft of health policies, accusing government of wasting millions of pounds. | |
Family doctors also branded out-of-hours care "shambolic". | |
And they said they had been made a "scapegoat" for the problems in the NHS after seeing their pay rise in recent years. | |
We have invested record amounts in out-of-hours services David Colin-Thome, the government's primary care tsar | We have invested record amounts in out-of-hours services David Colin-Thome, the government's primary care tsar |
GPs have come under fire for opting out of weekend and evening care following the introduction of a new contract in 2004. | |
The deal also saw their pay rise by one-third in the space of 12 months, taking average annual earnings through the £100,000 barrier. | The deal also saw their pay rise by one-third in the space of 12 months, taking average annual earnings through the £100,000 barrier. |
Dr Hamish Meldrum, chairman of the BMA's GPs committee, said: "I make no apologies for the pay increases that we have successfully negotiated and no apologies that we are among the best paid in Europe¿ as we provide the best care." | |
He also said ministers risk missing their flagship 18-week waiting target next year because cuts were forcing care to be rationed and choose and book, an IT network to link up hospitals and GPs, was not working. | |
Other doctors at the two-day conference were also critical of the government, culminating in an overwhelming majority of delegates giving both the government and Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt a vote of no confidence. | |
Criticism | Criticism |
Dr Eric Rose, a GP from Milton Keynes, said: "Ten years ago when Labour came to power I had great hopes. | |
"After all, this was the party that created the NHS and whose party election slogan was '24 hours to save the NHS'." | |
But he said a range of policies, including NHS Direct, walk-in centres, patient choice and use of the private sector, were failing. | |
"This government is damaging the fabric of the NHS. It has squandered millions of pounds of tax-payers money." | |
But Dr Michael Griffiths, from Gwent in Wales, defended the government. | |
"It has not been that bad. Much of the money taken out of the NHS by the Tories has been put back in." | |
GPs have also passed a motion that says GP out-of-hours arrangements are "shambolic" as patients are not able to get access to experienced doctors. | |
Stockport GP Dr David Gilbert said: "Some providers are more concerned with profit, flying doctors in from Eastern Europe." | |
Dr Kevin McBride, a GP from Wiltshire, agreed services were poor. | |
But he said some of the blame lay with family doctors as most of them had voted to opt out of responsibility for night and weekend care three years ago. | |
He said they perhaps should have kept responsibility for service and taken on extra staff to cover out-of-hours. | |
"If we had the vote again, I hope we would be more careful." | |
David Colin-Thome, the government's primary care tsar, said NHS managers were trying to make the system more efficient. | David Colin-Thome, the government's primary care tsar, said NHS managers were trying to make the system more efficient. |
He added: "We have invested record amounts in out-of-hours services. | He added: "We have invested record amounts in out-of-hours services. |
"Patients say that they are benefiting from improvements to out-of-hours care.. | "Patients say that they are benefiting from improvements to out-of-hours care.. |
"I am surprised that the BMA continues to criticise a system that they were involved in negotiating." | "I am surprised that the BMA continues to criticise a system that they were involved in negotiating." |
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