Mword Issue 86 - Dr Michelle Drage's latest update for GPs and practice teams

Mword Heading - Issue 86

9 September 2021


Dear Colleague,

Mad Hatters and other stories...
  1. Health and Social Care Levy – Nothing for general practice.
  2. Pantomime – Not.
  3. Abuse of our colleagues. Abuse of our profession.
  4. The Media.

1. Health and Social Care Levy – Nothing for general practice.

Last night MPs voted in favour of a new tax. In a statement to Parliament on 7 September the Prime Minister announced plans to substantially increase funding for health and social care over the next three years, to be funded by a new tax: the Health and Social Care Levy. By increasing National Insurance contributions (NICs) by 1.25%, and making this payable by those above State Pension age who are not liable to pay NICs on their earnings at present.

Put to one side that this is a volte face on the election manifesto promises made by the Government. More money is good, right? More money for health? Well, the devil is in the detail. The bottom line is that there’s nothing in it for us to help our patients. On the face of it, we are told to expect reduced waiting lists, which could mean better expedited referrals (as if)... except we know that the staff and the infrastructure isn’t there. Well we all know how that story goes. And just when you realised it wasn’t April 1st, up pops the "GPs to use Artificial Intelligence to help manage elective care waiting list" story from Costanza Pearce. Well whoopee-do.

And lest anyone be taken by the narrative of ring fences, whilst Build Back Better: Our Plan for Health and Social Care estimates that the new Levy will raise around £11.4 billion a year, with funds "legally ringfenced" to invest in health and social care, in the UK nothing is ever "legally ringfenced" as our constitution is built around Parliament being able to change its own laws, including the ringfences.


2. Pantomime – Not.

And so it seems to have been a summer of smoke and mirrors. Or maybe pantomime is a better analogy?

There’s no problem with blood bottles (oh yes there is).
There’s no problem with flu vax supplies (oh yes there is, oh wait – oh no there isn't).

Here at Londonwide LMCs we are doing our best to clear their smoke and doff their costumes so that you and your teams know what you are dealing with. Whether that is supporting you through a single, unified voice for general practice or updating you on the latest demands you face.


3. Abuse of our colleagues. Abuse of our profession.

We are still hearing about London practice staff receiving profanity filled letters and text messages regarding vaccinations, virtual appointments, and Covid passports, as well as receiving reports of calls, emails, econsult submissions and premises vandalism. If your practice has received abuse from patients in response to texts you have been asked to send out promoting details of mass site vaccination sessions please let me know here or via Beam.

4. The Media.

We remain in the eye of an anti-GP media storm. It is awful. You will, like me, have friends who now challenge you openly about face-to-face appointments and your pay, placing you in the position of having to defend what you do. This is not the result of a silly season spree by the media. It is part of a sustained denigration of our role. Its political. Its been briefed. Were that not the case we would see the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and the Chief Executive of NHSE&I publicly pushing back and supporting us and our teams. We would be seeing clear messages to the public, and we would see GP contract monies and resources directed our core services to enable GPs, nurses and admin staff to do our job properly… and safely.

You, we, all of us are working as hard as we can and it is unacceptable that GPs and our practice teams are being nationally scapegoated for the lack or resource and workforce in our health service.


As ever I welcome your feedback at mword@lmc.org.uk.

Keep well. Stay safe.

With best wishes

Dr Michelle Drage MBBS FRCGP
CEO, Londonwide LMCs

Last updated : 13 Dec 2021

 

M word - Issue 12 - Measles - MMR catch up scheme UPDATE (26 Apr 2013)

Dear Colleague Measles - MMR catch up scheme UPDATE   Here is an update based on current information and your...
Read more »

M word - Issue 11 - Measles - MMR Catch up Campaign (25 Apr 2013)

Dear Colleague Measles - MMR Catch up Campaign As you cannot have missed, The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) has announced a national MMR catch up campaign, centred...
Read more »

The M Word - Issue 10 - Dr Michelle Drage's latest personal briefing for practices on NHS reforms (03 Apr 2013)

Dear Colleague  Another April, Another New NHS  But this time it’s huge, so please see below for some sanity which I have drawn up from the perspective of practices as...
Read more »

The M Word - Issue 9 (20 Dec 2012)

Dear Colleague, Just before the second year of NHS ‘transition‘ draws to a close we are beginning to see how it will all fit together in London. There...
Read more »

The M Word Issue 8 - Dr Michelle Drage's latest personal briefing for practices on NHS reforms (05 Jul 2012)

I know in General Practice we’re all supposed to be the best at tolerating uncertainty when it comes to our patients health, but I’m not so sure we’re able to...
Read more »

The M Word Issue 7 - Dr Michelle Drage's latest personal briefing for practices on NHS reforms (01 Mar 2012)

  Through the fog    I felt it timely to send a beam of light out into the fog and try to illumine the way ahead for general practice.   ...
Read more »

The M Word issue 6 - Dr Michelle Drage's latest personal briefing for practices on NHS reforms (16 Dec 2011)

I have 3 updates for you:   The Health and Social Care Bill, 1 year on GP Primary Medical...
Read more »

The M Word issue 5 - Dr Michelle Drage's latest personal briefing for practices on NHS reforms (10 Oct 2011)

  Here's the latest update on what has and what has not been going on over the last few weeks, and what is likely to happen over the Autumn. I...
Read more »

The M Word issue 4 - Dr Drage's briefing on the NHS reforms (15 Jun 2011)

The Day After...   The Politics The Real World Michelle’s 3 step guide (definitely not a toolkit) to QIPP and GRIP   Dr Michelle Drage FRCGPCEO Londonwide...
Read more »

The M Word issue 3 - Dr Michelle Drage's briefing on NHS reforms (07 Jun 2011)

I thought I’d share three of my more serious thoughts to do with Providing General Practice and NOT commissioning (mostly!)   The new transitional management landscape in London Our...
Read more »
Next Page »
« Previous Page