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Dr Peter Swinyard: ‘Hunt seems to be waging war on GPs’

Health secretary Jeremy Hunt seems to be waging war on GPs. But GPs have been around much longer than him and he may live to regret this boorish behaviour. Does he want his predecessor Andrew Lansley’s reforms to fail? If senior GPs disengage and retire, what next?

It is also curious to blame us for something we are not contracted to do. Will he next blame nurses for not doing operations?

I think he wants a return to out of hours on the cheap, which is what we used to do. I have last week asked a senior civil servant to tell him how demoralising his actions are.

A return to GPs being responsible for out of hours is basically impossible. The day job has become so much more demanding that we cannot work around the clock. Also being tired is no longer acceptable as an excuse for medical mistakes.

GP recruitment is already at crisis levels, and this will not help.

Come back Mr Lansley, all (well most) is forgiven!

 

Dr Peter Swinyard is chair of the Family Doctor Association and a GP in Swindon

 

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