GPs vote to reconsider out-of-hours powers
BMA News
13 June 2008
GP leaders should consider the possibility of family doctors taking back responsibility for commissioning out-of-hours services, the conference agreed today (13/06/08).
Belfast GP Alan Stout won the controversial call by a narrow margin, saying that primary care organisations had ‘failed to deliver effective services’ and that GPs should take responsibility – provided they had adequate funding.
Dr Stout said £250,000 had been cut from the budget of one out-of-hours provider, which in the same week was found to be already understaffed an by independent standards report.
He also said that health boards were meeting to consider the future of all unscheduled care, including ambulance services and acute care, and that local GPs were the only group in a position to talk about the specific challenges of the out-of-hours care period at nights and weekends.
Treharris GP William Harris, however, challenged the statement that PCOs were not delivering in Wales.
He said: ‘The jewel in the crown of the new contract was getting away from the 168-hours-a-week commitment.’
GPs must not be ‘last resort’
GP negotiator Nigel Watson, who chairs the GPC commissioning and service development subcommittee, said: ‘There are areas where out of hours has worked well … it has been patchy.
‘I have to say that in areas where it has been good it is where the [former] GP co-ops have won the contract and PCT interference has been at a minimum.’
Dr Watson added that it was important that GPs not become the ‘providers of last resort’ just because PCOs have not been able to commission adequate services.