27 June 2003
GPs are pushing for changes to the new contract they accepted overwhelmingly last week.
Though 79.4% of GPs voted in favour of the new contract, British Medical Association GP leader Dr John Chisholm said a review of the formula used to distribute cash to GP practices under the new contract was already in hand.
The formula will allocate money to practices according to a number of factors, including the weighted needs of patients, relative workload and overheads. But Chisholm admitted that GPs want to include additional issues such as the extra costs of running small or split-site surgeries and the workload involved in seeing patients who do not speak English.
Although the BMA, the Department of Health and the NHS Confederation were relieved by the outcome of the vote, they also acknowledge that they need to address the fears of the fifth of GPs who voted against the deal and the many who voted 'yes' reluctantly.
'There are GPs who do not have confidence in parts of the new contract. The negotiating team is in no doubt what their concerns are and there is much work to be done during the implementation phase of the contract,' Chisholm said.
Some elements of the deal will be implemented immediately, including an average 11% pay rise backdated to April.
Other measures require legislation and are due to be introduced next April. These include the right for GPs to opt out of 24-hour care of patients – out-of-hours care will become the responsibility of local organisations such as primary care trusts.
Meanwhile, the impasse over the future of hospital consultants' contracts has intensified, with the BMA calling for urgent talks with new Health Secretary John Reid.
Consultants in England and Wales want to renegotiate their contract after voting against it last year. At their annual conference last week, they called for industrial action unless there was progress on the issue.
Reid's predecessor, Alan Milburn, consistently refused to renegotiate.
The pressure is set to rise next week when the BMA meets for its annual conference in Torquay.
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