Pulse asks GP leaders what their hopes and fears are for the coming year
Dr Paul Cundy, chair of the GPC’s IT subcommittee
Hope: That they don’t muck around with my pension any more
Fear: Not surviving the year.
Peter Swinyard, chairman of the Family Doctors Association
Hope for 2013: For the Government to come back to the table and really to talk to us and engage with us.
Fear for 2013: That they won’t.
Dr Charles Alessi, NAPC chair
Hope: I look to 2013 as the time we discover quite how valuable primary care is. I feel many have overlooked the fact we have one of the most skilled work forces in the world and one which manages clinical uncertainty better than most.
Fear: CCGs are autonomous organisations and need to reflect the aspirations of their constituents which are practices and the needs of their populations. My fear is the behaviours of old around top down direction will persist.
Dr Maureen Baker, RCGP honorary secretary
Hope: GPs can find ways of working that allow them to cope better with the pressures we face
Fear: A flu epidemic or some outbreak of disease that puts a lot of pressure on GPs
Dr Michael Ingram, a GP in Hertfordshire
Hope: That 2013 will unite GPs to deal with the issues we face. 2013 will bring many GPs one year closer to retirement.
Fear: I fear the NHS is in for a stressful 2013. I am not sure how we can handle it.
Dr Barry Moyse, a GP in Taunton and assistant medical secretary of Somerset LMC
Hope: People going through revalidation will find it just a next step, just another thing they have to do.
Fear: I am worried about the lack of clarity about remediation. If you are going to say to people they can’t work you need to have schemes in place that addresses the problem. I don’t think it is very clear at the moment. Public perception may label them as bad doctors, but that is not the case. They are colleagues who need guidance and support.
Dr David Bailey, chair of GPC Wales
Hope: That the UK Government leaves the GP contract alone and make no more changes, that there will be no more micromanagement. What GPs in all four countries want is a bit of stability.
Fear: The Government will go ahead and change the contract anyway; that they will not listen.
Dr Kailash Chand, BMA deputy chair
Hope: Good sense prevails in Government and they realise how low morale is for GPs, and that they welcome us to join negotiations
Fear: The political classes won’t listen and will carry on pushing their own agenda
Scottish GPC chair Dr Alan McDevitt
Hope: The UK Government will listen to our argument that GP workload is saturated. You cannot squeeze anymore into consultations without it damaging patient care.
Fear: We see the UK model of general practice start to come apart. There is a combination of factors - the threat of imposition of GP contract terms in England which undermines the stability of general practice and the way it is funded. There are also the concerns over the developing CCGs which together makes for an uncertain future for practices.
Dr Laurence Buckman, GPC chair
Hope: The squeeze on GP funding will get better
Fear: It will get worse
