Mword 32 - Anger, Action and Support

17 January 2017

Dear Colleague,

Anger, Action and Support

If you are angered by the Prime Minister's statement over the weekend, I borrow from Cumbria LMC's recent thank you letter to constituents:

You are the most valued and valuable NHS asset and London's NHS would fall over within days without you. Threats and bullying on such a scale and of such gravity as occurred in the media over the entire weekend are sickening. To blame an overburdened, struggling and understaffed workforce for the failings of a system is shameful.

And as our own Prof. Roger Jones said in our response to a King's Fund report on London's General Practice - a precursor to the Five Year Forward View, "the work you every day is nothing short of miraculous".

It is in this context then, and as an alternative to what you may have seen from our national bodies, that you might find some comfort, or even a feeling of schadenfreude from some of Michelle's Top Ten:

1. Watch this from 15 mins 10 secs in. It isn't long, but it's significant: Simon Stevens, CEO of NHS England, appearing in Parliament at the Public Accounts Committee on Wednesday - the trigger for the Prime Minister's diversionary tactic to blame GPs for the demand at A&E?
2. After an arranged visit to one of our London practices, the Leader of the opposition gets it - watch from 45 mins 25 secs in.
3. You're Ordering GPs Are You, Mrs May? A blog from our colleague Dr Zoe Norris, on Sunday.
4. As recently as November 2016, The House of Commons Library Report told the true story in Accident and Emergency Statistics: Demand, Performance and Pressure. Look at Page 11. My colleague Dr Susie Bayley asks on Twitter: "Shouldn't ED (That's A&E or Casualty) be busiest when GPs are closed? - Clue: they aren't."
5. Our own Dr Rebecca Rosen writes about why extending GP hours won't solve the A&E crisis.
6. A tweet from Derbyshire LMC shows the comparable buying power of general practice's patient funding.
7. From the LMC Conference in May, see some of our passion, and just who is standing up for us.
8. And the recent BMJ article from GP and Health Select Committee Chair Dr Sarah Wollaston is a must read.
9. From The Daily Mash, THIS.

And if you want to do something right now, then there's a tenth point on my list:

10. Add your voice to that of other senior clinicians working in the NHS and call on the Prime Minister to protect the NHS and invest more money in it.

The GP State Of Emergency is still in effect. Here's the link to the resources: https://gpsoe.org.uk/gpsoe. And if you have any comments, or need help and support, please ping me at mword@lmc.org.uk. Remember, our expert GP Support team at Londonwide LMCs is here to help you through.

But words are not enough. Action is needed. This Thursday we shall see what the GPC National Executive Team has to say. As a regular elected member of the wider GPC I shall not be silent, unless you tell me otherwise.

Best wishes,

Michelle

Dr Michelle Drage FRCGP
Chief Executive, Londonwide LMCs

As ever - Please do let me have any views on these issues or others at mword@lmc.org.uk.