I am a GP in Tower Hamlets. There is a great deal of debate at the moment around the Health and Social Care Bill. I am not a member of a political party, I am a simple citizen who happens to work as a GP in a relatively deprived part ofEngland. On the whole, I am frustrated by the way politicians meddle in health and make my work more difficult, rather than helping me do my work well. Anyway, you are pausing at the moment to reflect and listen, or so you tell us.
I am writing to all MPs, one letter at a time, about an issue which is not spoken about much. I am told that all three main parties support this idea of people being able to register with the GP of their choice, anywhere in England (!). It sounds, perhaps, like a good idea, a real ‘liberation’. But you must understand the practical aspects of this idea. When I first heard of this a few years ago I thought it was a parody.
Last year the Labour government conducted a so-called ‘consultation’ on this issue. It was a PR exercise, full of distortions, misinformation, omissions. Have your read the Royal College of General Practitioner’s Response to this? If not, here is the link:
http://www.rcgp.org.uk/pdf/RCGP_response_DH%20-%20Your%20Choice%20of%20GP%20Practice.pdf
I tried to question Andrew Lansley about this a year ago (and you will see why I am delighted with the RCN’s vote of non-confidence, and why I am sceptical about his ‘apology’):
https://onegpprotest.org/2011/01/22/an-attempt-at-transparency-from-andrew-lansley/
One last thing. I would strongly urge any of you who really care about the NHS (as opposed to mouthing sound bites) to read the transcript of a recent lecture, and get the book it introduces. Then decide how you should vote.
http://www.opendemocracy.net/ourkingdom/colin-leys/plot-against-nhs
Best wishes,
George
The Tredegar Practice 35 St Stephens Road London E3 5JD
