It’s the feedback I receive from you that enables me and the College to act on your behalf, and I want to assure you that I do to relay your concerns to the Department of Health, and that you are being heard.
I really do believe that 2010 will stand apart as a year of great change for the NHS, for GPs and for the College. Whilst the attention over the last few weeks has been on England, I am well aware of developments in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and am conscious that my recent newsletters have been rather Anglo-centric. I am sorry, but I do believe that even those of you from outside of England should be aware of what is going on, and in turn, I welcome your feedback and encourage your active participation in the consultations.
With the release of each new paper, the Government’s future plans become increasingly clear, but I want to remind you that these are consultation papers, and the Department of Health and the Health Ministers want feedback from us all.
The suite of four consultation papers that will inform the White Paper have now been released, and are listed below:
- Transparency in outcomes - a framework for the NHS
- Increasing democratic legitimacy in health
- Commissioning for patients
- Regulating healthcare providers
Also in the bundle of papers, but not a consultation document in itself, is the Arm’s-Length Body review. In it there is some good news, but it also raises a number of questions. There is an issue that we might have missed if we hadn’t read the full detail of the paper – that being the abolition of the Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence. I believe that we mustn’t have GMC fees going up to fund a body that we don’t need anyway. I will certainly be making this point in my own feedback.
This is one of the many examples of something that seems so small, but actually affects all of us in the profession. If the majority of you look at all of these papers thoroughly and respond in some way, then nothing will be missed.
The College consultation on the White Paper document is now open, and I very much encourage you to give us your views. The White Paper is a big document, and of course invites views on the principles and framework of general practice; the detail, and specifics, will follow next week when our consultations on the four DH consultation papers will be opened.
Formal weekly updates on the progress of the White Paper will be available on the RCGP Website from today.
On the subject of change – this week Hilary De Lyon, our Chief Executive, announced her departure. While I am sure you will join me in congratulating Hilary in being selected for training for Ordination in the Church of England, the congratulations go hand in hand with sadness at her leaving. Since she joined the College in 2002, Hilary’s leadership, vision, warmth and enthusiasm, among her many talents, have been invaluable.
It’s been an extremely busy time media-wise. I took part in a webinar hosted by the Health Service Journal on the White Paper. Some interesting issues were debated with Steve Smith, CE of Imperial Healthcare. If you want to watch the debate it is available here.
Dr Mark Porter also visited my practice and did a nice piece on Radio 4’s Case Notes which went out on 21 June at 4.30 which you can hear here.
Lastly, I’ve been contacted by a journalist who is keen to speak to any GPs who have used webcams to carry out remote consultations with patients. If you’ve been involved in any work in this area and are happy to discuss the pros and cons of this type of consultation, please contact Heather at the RCGP Press Office.
As always, I value your opinions and feedback enormously – wherever you live and work – and I urge you to get in touch if you have any comments or questions for me.
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