General practice 'will collapse' without more funding, warns BMA

Family doctor services will collapse unless the Government finds the money to cut GPs' workload and increase their pay, the British Medical Association said yesterday.

Leaders of the BMA warned that a "very, very significant" increase in funding was needed to revitalise general practice and reverse a recruitment crisis that has left many areas with a critical shortage of GPs.

The comments came after 76 per cent of GPs voted to press ahead with a proposed new contract by entering detailed negotiations with the Government. Turnout in the ballot was 65 per cent.

About £17bn is spent on family doctor services each year, and the new talks will decide how much extra money is to be spent on providing more staff, better surgeries, and higher salaries for GPs. Dr John Chisholm, the chairman of the BMA's general practitioners' committee, said the extra resources would have to be "substantially more" than the £310m a year extra that has been agreed for the 26,000 hospital consultants.

Under this deal, consultants will secure pay rises of between 15 and 25 per cent, which Dr Chisholm said would provide a benchmark for GPs.

He said the income of GPs would have to keep pace with those of consultants or serious problems of recruitment and retention would become "dire".

Dr Chisholm added: "If the money isn't there, primary care will crumble and general practice, which is the backbone of the NHS, will collapse. However, if the money is there, general practice will be revitalised and the quality of patient care will be maintained and improved."

Despite the "impressive" size of the yes vote, Dr Chisholm said, key areas of the proposed new contract still had to be thrashed out, including provision for better pensions, an end to forced patient allocations, and the introduction of demand manage- ment systems.

BMA leaders pointed to the 20 per cent real terms growth in funding for family doctor services over the past decade compared with a 60 per cent increase for hospital services.

Dr Hamish Meldrum said: "This is a chance for primary care to demonstrate what it can do if it is properly resourced. It is not just about GPs' pay, although that is very important if we are trying to attract more people into the profession."

John Hutton, the Health minister, welcomed the vote in the GPs' ballot. He added: "The Government is committed to investment in return for reform. The new contracts for GPs and consultants puts this commitment beyond doubt."