New paediatric specialists ‘totally unacceptable’i
BMA News
12 June 2008
GPs would not accept plans for paediatric care to be given to new specialists, Royal College of GPs chair Steve Field told the conference.
Professor Field said the RCGP would not accept plans such as those suggested in NHS Yorkshire and the Humber's ten-year plan of clinical pathways.
The document 'Healthy Ambitions' says child health in the region is among the worst in the country and proposes introducing 'children's GPs' to help improve it. The document concedes that 'this courts controversy' but goes on to say 'everyone agrees that there is a need to ensure that professionals dealing with children have the appropriate level of paediatric expertise.'
Professor Field told the conference: ‘That is totally unacceptable. We will not stand for it. Thiry-four million consultations a year take place between GPs and children and their families.
‘Even if they wanted to create a new specialist it would take ten to 15 years to deliver … This is not on and we have said that very strongly.’
GPs at the conference agreed that looking after children must remain a central part of general practice and expressed concern with preliminary reports from the Darzi next stage review process that this could change.