13.03.12
Backtracking
It is time to stop ‘polarising’ the debate on the Health and Social Care Bill, the RCGP has stated, just ahead of the legislation’s last stage before becoming law.
Despite its outright opposition to the Bill, and especially its elements of competition, the RCGP says it must now begin to work with the Government on implementation in order to move forward.
This is a tricky manoeuvre to accomplish, as the organisation and its individual members will keep criticising the legislation, while needing to implement it effectively if patient care is not to be affected.
Many GPs do not think the Bill will succeed – and some commentators have suggested that doctors will actively sabotage the implementation to ensure it does not.
But as Dr Gerada notes, doctors are not politicians – they must work within the framework set by the Government to the best of their clinical ability. Anything else could severely compromise public trust.
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