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#GPnews: RCGP holds vote on whether to remove Professor Steve Field

15:30 The chair of the GPC’s education and training committee, Dr Krishna Kasaraneni, linked to Pulse’s practice closures investigation as evidence of the crisis in general practice.

Pulse revealed that more than 200,000 patients had to attend a new practice last year because of closures.

14:20 Pic of the day is from the Nature journal, which reveals how little some high-profile medications actually work.



11:30 A very interesting story from the West Midlands. Last night, members of the RCGP Midland Faculty Board voted on whether to de facto remove Professor Steve Field, the CQC’s chief inspector for general practice, from the board.

The two GPs who brought the motions – Dr John Cosgrove and Dr Bill Strange – highlighted Professor Field’s comments to the Daily Mail, where he said he was ‘ashamed’ of his profession.

The motions said that any member making ’antagonistic and inflammatory’ comments towards RCGP members should be removed from the board.

Although Professor Field’s name was not mentioned in the motions, Dr Cosgrove made clear that the motion was directly related to him.  

But the board voted against the motions.

Read the full account on Dr Cosgrove’s blog.

10:30 Doncaster residents seem to have had a good new year, if their LMC leaders’ tweet is anything to go by (or the computer system isn’t working properly):

10:25 The Independent reports on a man who has lived to 107 drinking only red wine and nothing else.

Spanish winemaker Antonio Docampo García put down his longevity to drinking up to four bottles of his own wine a day.

According to his son, who is mourning his father’s passing last week in Vigo, northwestern Spain, Mr García never drank water.

10:00 Our top story today is that one-third of GPs believe the NHS should stop funding IVF treatment. One in five also say that bariatric surgery should not be offered to obese patients. And more than half think that people attending A&E for alcohol-related incidents should have to pay for their treatment. Read the full story here, and the full survey here.

9:30 We start the end of the week with a positive article: a major newspaper columnist defending GPs. Rosamund Unwin, of London’s Evening Standard, sticks up for GPs, points out they carry out 90% of care, and that ’we’d be wise to appreciate — and thank — our GPs more: we’d miss them if they disappeared’.

She adds: ’Every winter we hear about the pressure on A&E departments but one of the reasons they’re struggling is that GPs are resource-starved. In response to this, they’re calling for greater investment, a better recruitment strategy and a reduction in red tape. Jeremy Hunt, the Health Secretary for at least a little bit longer, would be wise to listen.’