BMA Response To Conservative Party Health Plans, UK
22 June 2007
The BMA is pleased that its call to value NHS staff and engage with health professionals and patients has figured highly in the Conservative party health proposals. Commenting on the Conservative pledge for an ‘independent NHS’, Dr Jonathan Fielden, Chairman of the BMA’s Consultants’ Committee, said:
“The BMA has called to remove political meddling from the NHS; an independent board is a key element to this. We recently launched our “Rational Way Forward” for the health service and forming an NHS Board of Governors to oversee the NHS was very much part of our vision. The Board would be responsible for the day to day running of the health service while parliament would decide the high-order questions around setting NHS priorities and funding.
“However we are concerned at the continued emphasis on a “social market” and enhancement of the purchaser-provider split. Many of these issues will come up for debate amongst our members at next week’s annual conference.”
Commenting on the specific issue of GP services, Dr Hamish Meldrum, chairman of the BMA’s GPs Committee said:
“GPs’ income is already linked to the success of the treatment they provide and to patient satisfaction through the new contract’s Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) which acts as a mechanism for performance related pay. The QOF requires practices to carry out patient satisfaction surveys and act on the results. Treatments given to patients are rooted in evidence-based medicine. In addition to QOF , GPs can secure resources for their practices by taking part in nationally agreed enhanced services which rewards them for achieving high satisfaction ratings from their patients on access.
“We would have to be convinced of the need to extend this process of performance related pay any further and be assured it was fair and based on sound evidence of benefit to patients.”
The BMA will study the Conservative Party proposals in detail before responding fully.
