Doctor won’t see you now

Unite’s campaign against the controversial privatisation of health services has now spread to GP surgeries amid warning that scores face closure because of a funding crisis.

The government is being warned that over 100 practices across the country could shut, with many doctors saying they “can’t go on much longer.”

The Medical Practitioners’ Union (MPU) section of Unite, which represents doctors at all levels as well as other medical staff, is heavily involved in the Save Our Surgeries drive to highlight the issue.

Dr Ron Singer, a retired London GP, who chairs the MPU, said changes in funding which started in April have destabilised many practices.

The changes mean that a Minimum Practice Income Guarantee (MPIG), used to top up practices on national contracts, is being phased out.

Practices on local contracts have also had their funding reviewed, which many fear is code for budget cuts.

It is being predicted that some practices will lose 30 per cent of their income.

Dr Singer said, “Investment in practices as a proportion of NHS spending has dropped over the last four years. It is definitely a funding crisis.

“More and more GPs are retiring, but not enough new people are coming through to replace them.

“Some practices are losing half their doctors, so they find it impossible to cope.”

Dr Singer believes there is a pattern of denigrating GPs, starving them of funds, which forces closures and allows private firms to move in and pick up contracts “on the cheap.”

He added, “There has been a trickle of practices over the past 10 years taken up by the private sector, often with poor results. This is mirroring what is happening in other parts of the NHS – doctors are no longer regarded as being special.”

Unite national officer Barrie Brown, said, “This government said it was placing GPs at the heart of its massive and unwelcome health service changes, but it has reduced overall spending on practices and wants to withdraw MPIG – a crucial support to many practices in deprived and rural communities.”

One doctor said, “They have bled the hospitals dry, now they are coming for general practice.”

The fightback includes protests, demonstrations and petitions, as well as campaigns in the specialist medical press.

Both Pulse and GP magazines has launched an e-petition warning of the closure threat, which says, “If these closures go ahead then this will be a disaster for the patients suddenly forced to find a new GP and will destabilise other neighbouring practices and the local NHS.

“Ministers must recognise this is a major problem and ensure that the NHS provides emergency support to help them restructure and protect their patients.”

Campaigners are pressing the health department to ensure it looks urgently into how it can provide more sustainable funding and support for GP practices to ensure that these vital services are not destroyed.

Unite is already balloting NHS workers for strikes over pay and is continuing to fight privatisation across the health service, but surely never expected to have to defend GP surgeries from closure.

Outraged? Sign the petition to save our surgeries now.