The British Medical Association (BMA) yesterday rebutted the government’s attack on the BMA leadership over family doctors’ opening hours.
Laurence Buckman, chairman of the BMA’s General Practitioners Committee, warned that the attack on the BMA was a move to push through the takeover of GP practices by private health companies.
The BMA has sent out thousands of posters to practices, warning patients that the family doctor service is under threat.
The private companies are already moving in to take over NHS GP practices.
GPs and patients and local trade unionists last week demonstrated against the takeover of a practice in Bow, east London, by Atos Healthcare.
And doctors in Camden, north-west London, have been shocked by the announcement by Camden and Islington PCT that the contracts for three GP surgeries in the borough are going to US giant United Healthcare.
Dr Buckman said: ‘We think this argument over a few hours either way is really a softening up.
‘Patients are being prepared to view their GP as not very good and not very willing and not very flexible, and as a result to look kindly on the government’s currently favoured model which is that patients should receive general practice from polyclinics.’
Buckman was responding to the announcement that Health Secretary Alan Johnson is going over the head of the BMA and writing to every GP in England urging them to accept the government’s plans for extended surgery opening hours and comments by Health Minister Ben Bradshaw.
The government has said it will impose a settlement if agreement cannot be reached with the BMA.
Health minister Ben Bradshaw claimed that ‘the current leadership of the BMA don’t really speak for the profession at large’.
He further claimed: ‘They’ve misrepresented the negotiations and they’ve misrepresented the offer that the government is making.’
Dr Chaand Nagpaul, a GP in London and member of the BMA’s General Practitioners Committee, angrily rejected the government’s allegations.
He told News Line: ‘We had actually agreed with the government’s own negotiating team a package of proposals that would allow us to provide extended hours as well as improve the quality of care to patients with other illnesses.
‘It is actually government that pulled the plug on that agreement and it is trying to put forward proposals that we believe will work against patients rather than for patients.’
