GPs yesterday opposed plans by Virgin Healthcare to offer GPs 10% of the profits it plans to make from private services including dentistry, therapies and laser surgery on offer in its planned network of polyclinics.
Virgin plans to open health centres known as ‘polyclinics’ with GPs employed by the NHS on NHS contracts where Virgin will also provide a range of private services.
The 10% profit share would be a ‘bonus’ on top of GP’s NHS salary for allowing the privateer to get his foot inside the NHS door, and also an incentive to refer NHS patients to private Virgin services.
West Midlands GP Dr Grant Ingrams told News Line: ‘I would be uncomfortable with that.
‘I would not want people coming into my surgery with someone else there trying to sell them something.
‘Virgin are planning to make something like £200,000 a year profit from each centre.
‘Under the NHS-GP contract, doctors are not allowed to benefit from fees for services.
‘But Virgin have said they plan to find a way round that.’
The British Medical Association (BMA) warned that GPs may be coerced into referring patients to private clinics by Virgin Healthcare.
BMA GPs committee deputy chairman Dr Richard Vautrey told News Line: ‘The intention really is that Virgin will make money out of private elements within the centre.
‘Our concern is that doctors working within the centre may be coerced or encouraged to make referrals or encourage patients to attend these private facilities.
‘The real risk is the opening of Pandora’s box, which once it is opened will be very difficult to close.’
A former employee of Virgin Healthcare, John Spencer has passed Virgin internal documents to the Guardian newspaper.
Spencer, who was head of therapies in charge of recruiting the new private staff, voiced his concerns about potential conflicts of interest within days of starting his job.
Earlier this year Spencer emailed Virgin Healthcare chief executive Adams, raising his concern that GPs might be in difficulties with the General Medical Council if they referred patients to Virgin’s private therapists.
Adams replied that he thought ‘this is a typical NHS grey area’.
l The BMA also said yesterday that it is ‘dismayed to learn that the government has today given the go-ahead to some of the remaining private sector schemes in England’, referring to new Independent Sector Treatment Centres (ISTC)
Dr Jonathan Fielden, chairman of the BMA’s consultants committee said: ‘There has been substantial evidence showing that ISTCs do not offer value for money and can destabilise local health services, yet the government has ignored the evidence and has proceeded with its delayed programme.
‘Many of the existing schemes have not delivered on their contracts because the need for extra capacity was poorly assessed or quality was questionable.
‘Now the NHS finds itself locked into lengthy deals, which are paid for regardless of activity, with later expensive “buy-back” schemes for unused buildings.
‘We are disappointed that the government has still not learnt that there are better ways of spending NHS money and would urge local health trusts to think very carefully before signing deals with the private sector in the future.’
