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Gerada: PM’s comments on GPs ‘risk misleading patients’

The chair of the RCGP has said the prime minister David Cameron ‘risks misleading patients' over his comments that GPs give preferential access to people they meet at dinner parties.

In a strongly worded letter to The Telegraph newspaper, Dr Gerada says the comments do a ‘disservice' to GPs and urges the prime minister to reconsider his plans to scrap practice boundaries.

The letter comes after the PM said his comments made at the launch of his white paper to reform public services, had been 'misinterpreted' and were largely about access to private healthcare.

He claimed in the speech that ‘people with money can get friendly with their local GP at dinner party, maybe see them out of hours if there's an emergency' and gave this as a reason for ditching practice boundaries.

After scores of comments on the PulseToday site from angry GPs this week, the letter from Dr Gerada reignites the row over Mr Cameron's speech.

Dr Gerada says in her letter: ‘This assertion - that GPs disregard their clinical integrity and give preference to any patient over another - not only does a disservice to GPs, but also risks misleading millions of patients who trust their patients.'

Dr Gerada also warned in her letter that ditching the boundaries will put many practices at risk of closure or ‘sink status', with popular ones attracting the wealthiest patients.