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MP calls for ‘cash incentives’ for GPs to see patients face to face

MP calls for ‘cash incentives’ for GPs to see patients face to face

GPs should be given cash incentives for seeing patients face to face, to alleviate demand on the NHS this winter, an MP has argued.

Otherwise, there’s a risk that more people will present at A&E because they can’t be seen in person, said Joy Morrissey, Conservative MP.

GPs seeing patients in person will also decrease hospital admissions and lead to earlier diagnosis for disease, she added.

‘Certain things cannot be seen unless a person’s vitals—their [blood] pressure—can be physically checked. Only a GP can do that and really only in person,’ she said.

Ms Morrissey suggested that GPs could receive a payment every time they see a patient in person, or visit a patient in their home.

These incentives could be funded from existing regional funding streams, she said.

Unlike hospitals, which get paid based on activity, GPs are paid a set sum based on the number of patients on their list.

However, England’s CCGs distribute the NHS’s budget to GPs locally, and can offer surgeries financial incentives for enhanced services.

Earlier this month the Government put forward a £250m ‘winter access fund’ for GP practices to hire more staff, on the condition they increase the number of patients they see in person. 

The BMA said at the time it was ‘disappointing to see that there is no end in sight to the preoccupation with face-to-face appointments’.

Meanwhile, health secretary Sajid Javid has said the Government ‘never planned’ to have league tables for GP practices, but confirmed it will publish practice-level data, including the proportion of face-to-face appointments.

In 2019, CCGs received criticism for offering cash incentives for GPs to cut referrals to hospitals.


          

READERS' COMMENTS [7]

Please note, only GPs are permitted to add comments to articles

Turn out The Lights 2 November, 2021 9:43 pm

Why would they pay us for what we do,they couldn’t afford it.Ironically pay us for what we do,We woulddo as much as we wanted to do then stop to have a work life balance.It would also show the twisting rt wing mail reading loonies the true worth of their face to face consults in the eyes of the government.

Patrufini Duffy 2 November, 2021 9:47 pm

It’s called a tariff. What you perversly pay hospitals to do. What’s that old chestnut trick, don’t do a consultant to consultant referral because the trust isn’t paid as much? Please. Double standards across the board.

Simon Gilbert 2 November, 2021 9:55 pm

“Ms Morrissey suggested that GPs could receive a payment every time they see a patient in person, or visit a patient in their home.”

It would be hilarious if they brought in payment by activity to get us lazy GPs working. Bring it on!

Wayne Davis 2 November, 2021 10:41 pm

How on earth does any sane person think that you can get severely overstretched GPS to do even more work by paying them more?

David Jarvis 3 November, 2021 8:42 am

I will say it again most Gp’s are working up to an artificial tax ceiling above which pension and income taxes make extra work pointless. Smooth tax progression and fix pension tax would help. Get rid of AA for NHS scheme perhaps?

Ann Dean 4 November, 2021 8:44 am

“Only GPs can take blood pressure”! Lots of our patients have bought their own monitors and send in home readings done over 2 weeks. These are more accurate than one reading in a stressful GP appointment. We can empower people to take on some responsibility for monitoring their health.

Nicola Williams 9 November, 2021 2:48 pm

Why can everyone but the government see that the problem is not that we want more money , it’s that there are not enough doctors to do the job. Don’t insult us .