Dr Adrian Jacobs told the NHS Employers annual confer- ence in Birmingham that PCTs may terminate the contracts of practices in financial difficulty following the changes to the GMS contract for 2009/10. He stressed his views were not NHS Employers' policy.
His comments contrast with GPC hopes that heavy losers under the new formula would receive financial support (GP, 17 October).
Dr Jacobs was critical of PCTs' performance management since their re-organisation in 2006, saying they had 'lost touch with GPs'.
'PCTs too often see GPs as a problem, rather than a solution,' he added.
Dr Jacobs also said national policies like the quality framework and GP-led health centres were 'national solutions based on inner-city problems' and urged GPs to negotiate deals beyond the GMS contract locally.
Meanwhile, a report by the think-tank Civitas said the quality framework offered 'inappropriate financial incentives' that distract GPs from providing quality care.
They called for the framework to be 'downsized'.
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