The Darzi report, published earlier this month, promised general practice a ‘fundamental strategic shift’ in terms of funding, Pulse reports.
“Care should be delivered in the community, closer to where people live and work, and that hospitals should be reserved for specialist care… It builds on the fact that General Practice is how most people commonly interact with the health service and GPs’ expertise as generalists,” authors wrote. “Indeed, research by the NHS Confederation has demonstrated that spending in primary and community settings had a superior return on investment when compared with acute hospital services. It therefore makes sense that this should be the fundamental strategic shift that the NHS aspires to make.”
But Prime Minister Keir Starmer also warned last week that there would be ‘no more money without reform’, and has not as yet committed any funding to deliver more care through general practice.
The same day that the Darzi report was published, health secretary Wes Streeting accused GPs engaged in collective action of ‘sabre-rattling’ – a claim the BMA’s GP Committee chair was quick to challenge.
“We are not in a position to be able to wait for long-term plans next year or consumer spending reviews,” Dr Bramall-Stainer responded.
Since the report was published, RCGP chair Dr Kamila Hawthorne has called for emergency GP funding in the autumn budget.
Dr Richard Fieldhouse, NASGP chair, said: “No professionals are better equipped to deliver on Lord Darzi’s proposals than fully qualified, highly experienced GPs who are licensed to diagnose and treat patients in the community, without supervision.
“We all know this, but the constraints that so often restrict delivering this care are legion. If we are to accept that there will be no extra funding without reform, then the government has to accept that there can be no reform without extra funding.
“The crisis in GP is bad enough that practices are taking collective action. Whatever the proposals in the Darzi report, it’s clear GP needs to at least be met at the bargaining table to resolve problems with the contract before any reforms take place.”