21 September 2007
The British Medical Association has accused the CBI of self-interest after the business organisation claimed that GP services were 'outdated' and placed an unnecessary burden on employers.
The CBI's September 18 report, Just what the patient ordered, claimed that restricted GP opening hours and limited services meant that last year, four times as many working days were lost due to employee GP attendances as were lost to industrial action.
Its research found that one in three adults say they find it 'fairly' or 'very' difficult to get a GP appointment at a convenient time.
But Laurence Buckman, chair of the BMA's GPs committee, hit back, saying: 'If employees lose time from work to see their doctor, it is either because they are ill and need care or because their employer has insisted they get a sick note even for a temporary illness which has passed.'
He added: 'Is it possible that the CBI is hoping that its members will be able to take part in the future privatisation of the health service?'
But the CBI's findings echoed Health Secretary Alan Johnson's comment last week that it was 'an anomaly' in modern Britain that most GP surgeries were shut when people came home from work and 'incongruous' that many had half-day closing.
Earlier this week Johnson and health minister Lord Darzi reaffirmed the government's commitment to allow private health companies and pharmacies to compete for contracts to provide NHS GP services on the high street.
A Department of Health spokesman said: 'We will investigate expanding new providers of additional GP services with Virgin, Boots and Lloyds Pharmacy. This will mean that services will be available… in the high street and near the workplace.'
PFsep2007
