John Gillies Blog
RCGP Opposes Health and Social Care
Bill
07/02/12
In my blog of 11 May 2011, I wrote about the worries of RCGP and
English GPs concerning the Bill:
These are not about GP commissioning which is
welcomed by many in the College, but about ensuring that the NHS
continues to provide comprehensive care, free at the point of
access. It calls for the issues of accountability, competition law,
conflicts of interest, abolition of practice boundaries and
fairness to be properly addressed. The revolutionary changes in
education and training are regarded by RCGP as unwelcome and
potentially harmful in primary care.
You will be aware of the news that, after a
great deal of consideration and consultation with the membership,
RCGP has decided to seek the withdrawal of the Health and Social
Care Bill in England. You can read the full
press release here.
The concerns remain very much as I set out
last year despite much debate and many amendments in the House of
Lords. It’s important to note that RCGP continues to support a
greater role for GPs in the planning, design and delivery of
services within their local communities. The decision to seek
the withdrawal is based on the potential of the Bill to increase
fragmentation of care, jeopardise access to care for poor people
and vulnerable groups, and to threaten the future of a unified NHS
in England.
The situation is changing as I write, but
currently the BMA, Royal College of Nursing, Royal College of
Midwives, the Royal College of Radiologists and the Chartered
Society of Physiotherapists oppose the Bill. Other royal
colleges are considering their position; very recently the Faculty
of Public Health also announced their opposition. A recent
BMJ (4 February 2012) published editorials and
commentary on
the reforms, including a defence of the Bill
by Secretary of State, Andrew Lansley.
The Bill does not apply in Scotland, of
course, where we face exactly the same financial and demographic
challenges, but have, so far, a more evolutionary approach to NHS
development. It is still a place where the word ‘public’ is
not thought to be bad, and where, as Iona Heath says, we maintain a
communitarian approach to public life.
Revalidation arrives…
2012 is the year when revalidation, which has
been in development for at least 10 years, finally gets underway.
We discussed the process with Sir Peter Rubin, GMC President, when
he was in Scotland last autumn. The plan is for it to be phased in
over 3 years, by the end of which all doctors will have completed a
revalidation cycle. The process of selecting the doctors who
will be first to be revalidated has been yet to be finalised.
In Scotland, we are fortunate in having a
robust appraisal process, overseen by NHS Education Scotland, which
has now been in existence for nearly 10 years. This means that most
GPs should be well prepared for revalidation.
Currently, we are waiting for final guidance
from the GMC on the precise requirements for revalidation. I am
very grateful to Drs Ken Lawton and Sally Al- Agilly for their work
on this. When we are clear about precisely what is required, RCGP
Scotland will send out guidance to our members.
Events…
Finally, I would like to alert you to a couple
of interesting events that are coming up. I will be speaking on 12
March at the first National
Conference on Rural General Practice about the
implications for Scotland of the commissioning agenda in
England. Also a key event in the Scottish primary care
calendar, takes place in Glasgow in April, the SSPC Annual
Conference 2012.
John