Friday, March 23, 2007
GPs refuse to be OOH scapegoat.
Doctors' leaders and grass-roots GPs have warned that any attempts by ministers to extend GPs' working hours will fail if not properly funded. Struggling GP out-of-hours (OOH) services and overstretched hospital A& E departments could lead to pressure on GPs to open later in the evenings and on Saturday mornings. The warning follows the publication last week of a report by the Commons Public Accounts Committee that severely criticises the running of OOH services since PCOs took over responsibility for them in 2004. It says they are not serving patients well, with access to advice and treatment 'often extremely difficult and slow'. The report also describes the DoH's preparations for the introduction of the PCO-run services as 'shambolic' and 'thoroughly mishandled'. It is costing £70m more a year to run OOH services than expected. But GPC negotiator Dr Peter Holden said any back-door attempt by the Government to extend GPs' involvement in OOH would only be acceptable if it was properly funded.
http:/ / www.doctorupdate.net/ du_ news/ newsarticle.asp ?ID=17351
THIS OOH COVER THAT G.P'S PROVIDE IS RIDDLED WITH ERRORS, THERE IS ONE BEING INVESTIGATED LOCALLY, UNFORTUNATELY THE PCT ARE "DRAGGING THEIR HEELS" IN THIS PROCESS - WHEN THE DETAILS EMERGE, THEN THE PUBLICS TRUST IN THE PCT AND THE NOTION OF CARE BEING PROVIDED BY G.P'S OOH & TREATMENT IN THE COMMUNITY WILL GO OUT THE WINDOW..............IT WON'T WORK
AND WONT BE ACCEPTED.........
