A public
consultation on the issues surrounding contestability and
competition in primary care is now being held by the Royal College
of General Practitioners (RCGP).
The discussion paper ‘Choice, Contestability
and Competition in General Practice Services’ is open to patients
and healthcare practitioners and aims to identify the potential
advantages and disadvantages of the policy on patient care.
Current NHS policy is aimed at increasing
patient choice, access and quality by introducing competition
(contestability) within the NHS, including the concept of
contracting out services currently provided by NHS hospitals, and
some community and primary care contractors.
Until recently the debate has focussed on the
role of the private sector in secondary care, for example
independent sector treatment centres. But now the debate needs to
shift to implications for primary care as a significant proportion
of Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) are expected to invite tenders for
contracts from new entrants.
The consultation paper put forward by the RCGP
Medical Ethics Committee examines the strengths and weaknesses of
contestability and its impact on a range of factors such as the
quality of care. The purpose of the consultation is to promote a
structured debate about the advantages and disadvantages of a
market approach on patient care.
Ailsa Donnelly, Chair of the RCGP Patient
Partnership Group, says: “There has been very little public
discussion around competition for NHS services so far and it’s
vital that patients are consulted and have their say on the issues,
as it is their health and well-being that is at stake.”
Dr Clare Gerada of the RCGP Medical Ethics
Committee says: “Current policies advocating contestability,
competition and choice raise important ethical questions such as
how the NHS should organise primary care services so that they best
meet the needs of patients.
“It’s difficult to predict the outcome of
these policies and so it is right that we debate the advantages and
disadvantages of such an approach. Whilst some commentators are
concerned about new entrants such as large companies providing
primary care services and the potential tensions posed by an
obligation to shareholders, others welcome the competition that GP
services are now exposed to and the resultant improvements in
access and patient-centered services.”
The consultation paper is available online at
http://www.rcgp.org.uk/. All comments
must be submitted by Friday 12 January 2007.
Ends
Media enquiries: Please contact Lorna
Fletcher in the RCGP Press Office on 020 7344 3136/3129 or
press@rcgp.org.uk
NOTES TO EDITORS
The Royal College of General Practitioners is
the largest membership organisation in the United Kingdom solely
for GPs. It aims to encourage and maintain the highest standards of
general medical practice and to act as the “voice” of GPs on issues
concerned with education; training; research; and clinical
standards. Founded in 1952, the RCGP has over 25,000 members who
are committed to improving patient care, developing their own
skills and promoting general practice as a discipline.