A GP has resigned from his clinical director position on the CCG governing board because of fears about what the contract changes will do to his practice.
Dr Chandra Kanneganti, who was clinical director of unscheduled care on Stoke on Trent CCG and was involved with the CCG from its beginning, told Pulse he enjoyed commissioning and was disappointed to have to give it up, but that his patients were his ‘main priority’.
The resignation brings into stark reality warnings from the GPC that GPs will have no time to devote to commissioning because of the extra pressures the imposed GP contract for 2013/14 places on practices.
Dr Kanneganti told Pulse: ‘We need to spend more time at practices than we did before. Practice and patients are our main priority.
‘There are a lot of things that are happening. We do not know the impact of the contract changes. It was the fear of how the practice would be affected by the contract changes that made me leave – more like prevention than the cure.’
He added: ‘I really enjoyed commissioning and the experience I had in the last two years. But the priority is the practice and patients.
‘Commissioning is a two days a week job it has acquired input in other days. With the recent changes in the contract I’m not sure how long I can spend time on my commissioning duties. I don’t want my patient care compromised.’
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GP support for CCGs ‘will be hit by contract changes’
Dr Richard Vautrey, GPC negotiator, said in January this year that GPs would have to give up commissioning as a result of the new contract.
He said: ‘GPs will find that with the increase in workload in their practices, GPs will find it much more difficult to [find time] to take part in CCG meetings and activity. The knock-on effect will speak for itself.’
Pulse reported earlier this year that LMC leaders were concerned over the levels of stress and mental health issues in the profession after there was a four-fold increase in the numbers of GPs presenting to pastoral care services in the first half of 2012, compared with the same period in 2011.
