A GP today cast doubt on the government’s latest ploy to reduce NHS waiting lists.
Under the new arrangement, announced last week, doctors’ surgeries will be able to claim £20 every time they refer patients to healthcare services other than hospital, such as health clinics and community specialists, for tests and treatment.
The GP, speaking off the record, told WM News the scheme’s funding was “capped,” so when the cash runs out “militant GPs will stop doing it and it could backfire.”
Cutting waiting-lists
Two million patients a year are referred to hospitals when they have common conditions such as earwax, tinnitus and IBS.
This initiative aims to ensure patients get faster care. There is a waiting list of 580,000 for care from an already-overloaded NHS gynaecological service. And 400,000 on the waiting list have digestive problems.
Some £80 million has been allocated to fund the existing advice and guidance scheme. Currently more than six million patients are waiting for more than seven million appointments, tests and operations.
A GP’s view
The GP, who runs a surgery in the West Midlands, said: “It’s amazing how this is reported. We have been doing this for years. If I phone a mate who works in hospital they’ll give me £20 now.
“It’ll change nothing except pay me more for something I do already. The problem is it’s capped, so within a few months there’ll be no money left and some militant GPs will stop doing it and it could backfire.”
British Medical Association
The doctors’ union, the BMA, negotiated the deal saying that this will reward doctors for taking more responsibility for their patients’ health. The BMA see this move as an important step in acknowledging the role of the GP and community practice to deliver better care to patients.
Viewpoint
Some question why doctors should receive additional pay for doing their job. The underfunding of the NHS is a political issue, with emphasis placed on management rather than on equipment, doctors and nurses.
While some experience excellent healthcare through GPs and community services, others suffer from under-resourced A&E and ambulance services. Improving patient services should be the priority without further straining stretched health service budgets.
