Chairman moves to reassure patients over new GP contracts

READERS of The Oban Times on May 17 may have read with alarm the front page article warning of funding cuts to rural general practice, writes Dr Alan McDevitt, chairman, Scottish GP Committee of the BMA.

Such alarm would be understandable. General practice is after all the part of the NHS that the greatest number of people interact with most throughout their lives, nowhere more so than in rural or remote communities. But the problem is the claims of impending funding cuts are not true.

The new contract is already in effect and no practice – not in Oban, not in Lochaber, nor in any other part of Scotland – has seen its funding reduced as a result of the contract.

The reason for this is the income and expenses guarantee that ensures that the finances of every GP practice in Scotland are protected. That protection is not an accident, it is an absolutely key element of the new contract and despite what has been claimed by some, it is not time-limited or conditional.

The BMA represents all doctors across the length and breadth of Scotland. We would have had no interest in signing a contract that undermined the finances of GP practices in rural areas and neither the BMA nor the Scottish Government would have had any reason to seek such an agreement.

What the contract does introduce are moves to address GP workloads which have spiralled out of control in many parts of the country, putting the viability of practices at risk as they struggle to recruit enough doctors to meet demand.

It will see a wider range of professionals recruited, such as more nurses, pharmacists and physiotherapists, who patients will be able to access directly.

This will help to relieve some of the work GPs face and free up GP time to focus on the patients who need the care that only a GP can provide.

Critics of the contract have stated the services these additional professionals will provide, such as responsibility for vaccinations, are not appropriate for small, remote practices. But the contract already allows for such circumstances and nothing in it prevents rural GP practices that have the capacity to do so from continuing to deliver such services.

I think it is really important we reassure our patients that implementation of the new contract will not have a negative impact on the care that they receive from their GP practice.

In reality, there will be little visible difference for patients; they will still have access to medical advice and services in their local practice, as and when required. The new contract offers much-needed hope to many in general practice and I believe it will help put the profession as a whole on a firmer footing for the years ahead.