What?
Sajid Javid, the UK Health Secretary, has recently announced he is considering nationalising General Practitioners (GPs), so they are fully part of the NHS. The ultimate aim is to reduce patients being admitted to hospital. Mr Javid reportedly thinks the current system of how GPs work is outdated and has considerable drawbacks for patients and the government. Being semi-independent they can also say what they like, and be the patients’ advocate (myHSN likes freedom of speech!)
When the NHS was set up in 1948, there were three pillars that did (and do) run differently:
- General practice
- Hospitals
- Community care
General practice was set up as semi-independent of the NHS, with the surgeries run as small businesses. Most still follow this model. But is this the right model for the modern age?
GP surgeries earn their income according to the number of patients registered to them – i.e. most GPs do not get fixed salaries. Instead their income is dependent on their patient numbers. This income will pay the GPs and all of their staff, e.g. receptionists and nurses.
Why?
General Practitioners (GPs) are the ‘gate keepers’ and heart of the NHS. They prevent patients being admitted to hospitals unnecessarily. This makes best use of NHS hospital beds, and saves thousands of pounds per year by treating patients in the community.
Once upon a time, at the beginning of the NHS, Nye Bevan MP (the founder of the NHS) allowed GPs to remain independent as small businesses. As a result, to this day, GPs are paid based on a a fixed sum per patient registered (currently £155 per patient per year), and through hitting certain health quotas e.g. achieving asthma patient targets. In comparison, hospital consultants are paid set salaries by the government every year – although some GPs can also be salaried via the GP practice.
So why does Sajid Javid want to nationalise GPs now? Well, he believes nationalisation will help improve a patient’s journey through the complexity of the NHS system. By having closer links with hospitals, it will reduce the bureaucracy involved – thus making it more cost effective and efficient (arguable).
How (does it affect you)?
This is only a proposal currently, and therefore there is no current change to the way GPs interact with hospitals.
In theory, by removing barriers between GPs and hospitals, referrals for specialist care may be seen quicker. With these improved links, it may be that your problems are resolved earlier and you will get to see a hospital specialist in a more efficient way. However, this does not resolve the two ‘elephants in the room’:
- The lack of doctors and healthcare professionals that allow GP surgeries to run effectively in the first place
- The colossal waiting lists in hospitals
This may take a long time to implement, so any benefit to patients may be a while away.
As always, best wishes from myHSN
