GPs Say They Don't Have The Skills To Run NHS Budgets - New Survey From Biggest GP Conference This Year, UK

Main Category: Primary Care / General Practice
Also Included In: Conferences
Article Date: 10 Jun 2011 - 8:00 PDT


A new survey has delivered a damning indictment of the Prime Minister's revised NHS plans.

GPs and primary healthcare professionals attending the Health Commissioning conference at Olympia on Wednesday, 15th and Thursday, 16th June have raised serious and urgent concerns with the government's approach to healthcare reforms, and with the Prime Minister's personal commitments.

In the first survey carried out since David Cameron announced concessions to controversial NHS plans, 71% of respondents said that GP consortia are not well placed to run the commissioning budgets they are to be given.

"The government has dismantled PCTs, but GPs have made it clear they are in no position to take over. The NHS Budget is £80 billion a year, and government changes have left no-one to manage it," says Dr Ron Singer, President, Medical Practitioner's Union.

The Prime Minister announced five new NHS commitments earlier this week. But in the Health Commissioning survey 72% of respondents said these changes did not reassure them, whilst 68% said David Cameron's commitments did not go far enough.

"The PM's fudge is just causing more chaos. The only option is to drop the bill and start again," says Dr Singer.

The Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley, is due to address the Health Commissioning conference on the opening morning (Wed, June 15th) in what will be a keynote speech. He will also take part in a Q&A with an audience of up to 1500 GPs and primary healthcare professionals.

"It's a brave step for the Health Secretary to face GPs, who are clearly dismayed by the government's latest proposals." said Ralph Collett, the Director of Commissioning 2011. "This is likely to be a decisive moment for the government's NHS plans,"

Notes

185 GPs and primary healthcare professionals responded to the survey on June 8th and 9th 2011.

49.3% said the government had not listened to GPs concerns about health commissioning.

72.2% said they were not reassured by the government's new commitments announced on June 7th.

68.1% said these new commitments do not go far enough.

71.5% said they did not believe that GP consortia are now well placed to run the commissioning budgets they are to be given.

The Commissioning Show 2011: 15th & 16th June 2011.

Source:
NHS

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