Bradford GPs call for Health Bill to be scrapped (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Bradford GPs call for Health Bill to be scrapped

10:40am Saturday 28th May 2011 in Health News By Claire Lomax

Simon Morritt, chief executive of NHS Bradford and Airedale

A leading Bradford GP has signed a letter calling for the Government’s Health Bill to be thrown out.

Dr Jude Danby, an executive member of the newly-created Bradford and Airedale GP Commissioning Consortium and a partner at Ashwell Medical Centre in Manningham, was among 200 doctors to sign the letter, which was sent to a national newspaper.

The letter expressed anger at David Cameron’s claims to have widespread support for his Bill because GPs have joined commissioning consortia.

According to the newspaper’s website, the letter is signed by fellow Bradford GPs Alun Griffiths, Dr Clare Connolly, of Horton Park Surgery, and Dr Maggie Eisner, director of Bradford’s training scheme for general practice.

The letter says there are many GPs opposed to the Bill who have “felt compelled to join consortia to fill the gap left by the meltdown of primary care trusts”.

The letter goes on: “We are angry that this is being used by the Government to suggest that we support the reforms.

“On the contrary, we believe the Bill is so ill-conceived it should be thrown out. The reforms are revolutionary, not evolutionary. Focusing only on GP commissioning ignores the most radical aspect of the Bill: the increased role of competition and the market.”

It concludes: “We can achieve improved cost-effective and caring services without a Bill. GP commissioning has been effective in many places with no need for legislation. At a time of unprecedented austerity, it is dangerous to introduce legislation that will waste money, destabilise services and divert health workers from their main task of providing better services.”

Dr Chris Harris, chairman of NHS Bradford and Airedale’s GP Commissioning Executive, and Simon Morritt, chief executive of NHS Bradford and Airedale, said: “There is a real challenge for us in moving from one system to the other but we are continuing to make good progress and laying strong foundations – based on clinical expertise and leadership, and commissioning support – for the future GP consortia to build on.”