The British Medical Association (BMA) yesterday announced a national ‘Support your Surgery’ campaign to defend and promote NHS GP services in England.
The BMA warned: ‘The number of private firms winning contracts for GP practices is growing and, at the same time, Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) have been instructed by the government to set up new health centres, or polyclinics, that commercial providers can bid for.’
The BMA will be sending all GP practices a campaign pack, and practices will be asking their patients to sign a petition that will be presented to Downing Street in June as a giant birthday card celebrating the NHS at 60.
Dr Laurence Buckman, chairman of the BMA’s GPs committee said: ‘The government wishes to impose the polyclinic model on every PCT in the country regardless of need or demand.
‘Private commercial companies would also be able to bid for the new centres leading to fears that they will be more interested in their shareholders than patients.
‘The government appears to be moving further away from the personalised care it claims to aspire to.
‘Patients will find it more difficult to see the same GP each time and continuity of care could suffer.
‘PCTs should be encouraged to invest in their local GP practices and support joint working between practices and local hospitals.
‘This would allow care to be enhanced for patients without the risk of unnecessarily duplicating or destabilising existing services, and be better value for money for the taxpayer.’
l Wednesday’s House of Commons health committee report criticises the government for pressing ahead with the disastrous implementation of Modernising Medical Careers and ignoring the BMA’s repeated calls for a delay from as far back as June 2006.
It describes the Department of Health’s leadership as ‘totally inadequate’ and its implementation of the changes as ‘inept’.
BMA Chairman Dr Hamish Meldrum, said: ‘This is a damning indictment of the government’s failure to listen.
‘The medical profession’s concerns were repeatedly and arrogantly disregarded, and thousands of junior doctors paid the price.’
He added: ‘It is crucial that this disaster is never repeated.’
