Labour hints it would prevent GPs operating as ‘murky’ private businesses
Health / Sun 8th Jan 2023 am31 10:20am
GPs’ surgeries would be stopped operating as “murky” private businesses under Labour, the shadow health secretary has suggested, deepening a row with the doctors’ union reports The Independent.
Wes Streeting said he is “minded to phase out” the system of GP partnerships, where self-employed doctors act as contractors for the NHS.
The British Medical Association (BMA) said the shadow minister should be targeting the Government for overseeing a “haemorrhaging” of GPsrather than “blaming family doctors”.
Mr Streeting outlined reforms that he said would stop GPs being “the sole gatekeeper” to the NHS, including getting pharmacies to do more vaccination and prescribing.
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https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/wes-streeting-labour-gps-government-nhs-b2257798.html?amp
novoman
2023-01-08 11:30:51
Might be better if all GPs were nhs employees and the nhs was organised and funded better. What with the PM avoiding questions about whether he uses a private GP or not it's clear there's a unhealthy tier health service in the uk. "It's the rich that gets the pleasure and the poor that gets the pain" as always.
nick
2023-01-08 11:46:45
Probably worth reminding Mr Streeting who it was that rushed through The National Health Service (Private Finance) Act 1997 (July 1997 to be precise) And that was....... Labour!
Colin
2023-01-08 12:39:59
As far as I was aware doctors have been contracted to the NHS since 1948 but under a Labour government of 2003 doctors were allowed to sell their practices on. At the moment the only Harlow surgery which doesn't operate under the banner of Stella Health Care is Jenner House
David Forman
2023-01-09 00:51:19
In Attlee's government of 1945-5, Aneurin Bevan made deviations from the original William Beveridge plan, including self employed status for GPs,with payment mainly through capitation fees. However, the BMA waged a long campaign and extracted further concessions. Michael Portillo wrote a good article explaining the origins of the NHS: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1113449/
Theman
2023-01-09 08:54:37
I find it a bit offensive to refer to private business as ‘murkey’. I think you will find there is just as much if not more dodgy financial practise and wastage in the public sector.
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