27.06.11
Doctors’ warning on trust issues
The BMA begins its annual representative meeting in Cardiff today, following a warning by the organisation’s head, Dr Hamish Meldrum, that the NHS reforms could reduce patients’ trust in doctors.
He argued: “If patients even suspected that their GPs might be rewarded for how well they do, and particularly how well they do financially in terms of commissioning – giving way to suggestions such as 'You may not be referring me, you may not be investigating me, you may not be prescribing for me because that actually means money in your pocket' – well, that would seriously damage the trust.”
He added: “The public is not prepared to gamble with the future of the NHS, and doctors are not prepared to see this trust abused by government policies that could undermine the value of doctor-patient relationships.”
In his opening speech to the conference this morning, he updated doctors on the BMA’s current thinking on the shape of the NHS reforms, saying: “The Government has made some positive moves on NHS reform with the listening exercise – but that’s not enough, we need to build on that, not throw it away with short-term cost-cutting of frontline care, poorly planned major service changes or a phoney war about the unsustainability of an NHS pension scheme that is £10bn in surplus.”
Also on the agenda today are commissioning, spending cuts, NHS finance and the shortage of armed forces doctors. Other topics to be tackled over the course of the week include motions on the Health & Social Care Bill, abortion, organ donation, EU doctors, doctors’ training, business continuity, flu immunisation, alcohol pricing, diet, and NHS pensions.
Visit www.bma.org.uk/arm for updates.
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