#News
This week’s GP magazine splash revealed exclusively that DH plans to integrate practices and drive up their efficiency could blur boundaries with commissioning groups and undermine their autonomy.
This generated much online comment.
Reacting to news that Professor Steve Field (@ProfSteveField), who is leading the NHS Constitution review, predicts it will prevent postcode lotteries, Dr Michelle Drage (@MichelleDrage), chief executive officer of Londonwide LMCs, tweeted:
@michelledrage @gponlinenews very clever Michelle - I guess LIFE is THE lottery and the NHS is there to improve your odds of winning!
— Prof Steve Field (@ProfSteveField) March 15, 2012
Dr Una Coales (@drunacoales), Conservative Health secretary, NHS locum GP, RCGP Council representative, author and MRCGP courses educator, questioned revalidation:
We do not revalidate lawyers and bankers, so why pick on doctors and nurses? Is it because drs, nurses, police, teachers work for the state?
— Dr Una Coales (@drunacoales) March 15, 2012
She added:
Postpone or scrap revalidation as it stands as it is not fit for purpose and wastes NHS money on pointless tick box exercise that tests nil.
— Dr Una Coales (@drunacoales) March 15, 2012
Anti-Health Bill campaigners didn’t manage to get it scrapped (again!) this week. But it wasn’t for the want of trying by GPC deputy chairman Dr Richard Vautrey (@rvautrey):
If MPs and Peers really want to empower doctors and patients to improve #NHS they'll vote against #healthbill We can do better without it
— Richard Vautrey (@rvautrey) March 13, 2012
While Dr Tom Flynn (@DrTomFlynn), policy and campaigns manager for the Liverpool Guild of Students, tweeted a feeling we at #weekinreview imagine our readers would like to experience more often:
Gym before work #smug
— Dr Tom Flynn (@DrTomFlynn) March 15, 2012
#Blogs
Will the Health Bill put commissioning for anything more than a verruca out of a GP’s reach asks east London GP Dr Jonathan Tomlinson (@mellojonny), quoting healthcare commentator Roy Lilley’s (@RoyLilley) blog? On commissioning support services Mr Lilley writes:
There will be twenty, some say thirty of them, providing overarching back-office services. More important they will also provide the middle-office dealing with formulary, procurement, care-pathway-design, and very likely referral management services. They will exist to do what CCGs can't do, funded by the £25 per-head management cost allowance but, I predict, privately owned, will grow fat off the margin between cost and price.'
#WhatToLookOutForAtGPonline.comNextWeek
- Health Bill coverage as it received its third reading in the Lords Monday 19 March.
- Budget coverage: Wednesday 21 March
- Scottish LMCs conference coverage: Thursday 22 March.
