19.05.17
BMA: We must resurrect our Darwinian survival instinct and fund the NHS
Doctors have today united to demand that politicians end the “callous disregard” for the NHS and commit to appropriate funds to save ailing health services.
Speaking at the national conference of Local Medial Committees, BMA GP committee chair Dr Chaand Nagpaul told delegates that the NHS had been “paralysed” by the vote for the UK to leave the EU.
He also criticised the most controversial Leave camp claim that Brexit would lead to an extra £350m per week for the NHS, arguing that doctors had been “cheated” by savage austerity and a deep freeze in NHS spend by the Tory government.
“Despite these contract improvements, the plight of general practice remains parlous and on the brink of collapse,” Dr Nagpaul warned. “We’ve always been clear the crisis in general practice cannot be addressed by these annual contract revisions.
“Indeed, the bigger issue is the avalanche of work piling up from outside our contract which is either inappropriate or unresourced.”
The BMA GP committee chair also stated that pressure was being further exacerbated by the general practice service being several thousand doctors short due to “shambolic workforce planning”.
Later in his speech, Dr Nagpaul stated that the GP Forward View won’t in itself solve the crisis in general practice, and that it was not sufficiently funded within a “bankrupt” NHS.
“Individual practices have become frighteningly vulnerable, with one in 10 practices surveyed by the BMA saying they’re not sustainable and we’ve witnessed record numbers of practice closures – not surprising with one in three practices unable to fill GP vacancies,” he said.
“Even a seemingly secure practice is just one partner away from retiring to set off a domino effect which could lead to collapse. That’s why it’s critical that resilience monies reach the most fragile of practices in a timely proactive manner without hurdles.”
He concluded by saying: “We must therefore resurrect our Darwinian survival instinct, and stake our claim with our patients and the public to demand that the general election delivers a government that will fund the NHS properly – to bring spending on our health service in line with other European countries, plugging the enormous funding gap – and give general practice the resources to do justice to our profession, our discipline and the patients we care for.”
Top Image: BMA
Have you got a story to tell? Would you like to become an NHE columnist? If so, click here.