Leader of UK GPs warns ‘Ordinary GPs’ must not be cut out of involvement in NHS reforms

The development of Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) is happening without the involvement of many ordinary GPs, the leader of the UK’s GPs warns today in his speech to the annual GPs’ conference.

As implementation of the Health and Social Care Act gathers pace, CCGs are due to take over the responsibility for commissioning care from Primary Care Trust clusters by April 2013.  All CCGs will need to be ‘authorised’ before they can become statutory bodies, but many GPs feel that, despite government promises, they are not the ones in control of how their CCGs are being developed.

In his speech Dr Laurence Buckman, Chairman of the BMA’s GPs Committee, warns that as the NHS, “lurches towards the buffers of financial and operational meltdown, we find that instead of the clear thinking that the NHS desperately needs right now we have regulation, bullying micromanagement and dissipated effort.”

Acknowledging that in some areas of the country the development of CCGs is progressing positively, Dr Buckman says that in other areas there are those who are trying to impose structures that are “unacceptable”.  He says GPs must stand up to this; he says the BMA itself will try to influence the changes for the better, but that the government also needs to keep to its word:

“CCGs are ‘membership organisations’ as we keep on being told, they are our creatures not just another version of the PCTs they replace.  GPs should be telling them what to do, not the other way round.  We were told it was going to be different…the government needs to make it so.”

The BMA was opposed to the Health and Social Care Bill and continues to have grave concerns but has since said that now that it is an Act it will work to ensure that implementation is evidence-based and sensible. 

Many of the motions being discussed at this year’s conference relate to concerns about the development of CCGs (motions 64-73).   Family doctors, Dr Buckman concludes, “are nervous for the future as they face rising workloads, and “a host of unwelcome and unnecessary changes.”  He calls on the government and those involved in the development of CCGs to listen to their concerns. 

The entire conference, including Dr Buckman’s speech, is being webcast live. 

http://www.bma.public-i.tv/core/portal/lmclive-day1

http://www.bma.public-i.tv/core/portal/lmclive-day2

There is also a live blog detailing motions that have been passed or lost and a copy of the full agenda.
The Twitter hash tag for the conference will be #LMClive