The RCGP chair's faith in state planning is at odds with the profession's entrepreneurship and desire for leadership, says Dr Rubin Minhas.
Though I've never met the chair of the RCGP, I do admire the work she has done with people with difficult health problems. Really. But as much as I respect this, she doesn't represent me.
And according to polling data from the Family Doctor Association about the Government's commissioning plans, she doesn't appear representative of GPs up and down the country either.
In a Guardian interview, before Christmas, about her opposition to the NHS reforms, Dr Gerada was open about her political inspiration. She lamented the passing of central planning and command and control: a system that's been oppressive and has deprofessionalised GPs and hospital doctors alike.
It seems she's lost sight of the fine balance between being a representative and providing representation and taken the RCGP into the realm of special-interest politics. There doesn't seem to be a distinction between her political views and the college's stance on the NHS; they're one and the same. And the Guardian, in saying she ‘represents Britain's 40,000 GPs', not only gets its facts wrong but illustrates the point perfectly.
Yes, healthcare and politics are intertwined, particularly in a state-funded system like ours. But when doctors bring their own personal political beliefs into their professional life, particularly under the guise of leadership, they risk division and decline – not least of their own credibility.
What is needed is dialogue, not recrimination, and a constructive critique, rather than partisan politics.
The NHS is no icon of virtue – there is plenty of evidence of bureaucratic waste and much scope to improve quality. One recent study revealed hundreds of millions of pounds of waste in the NHS drug budget.
More is wasted on obsolete drug stocks and variations in care, not to mention the time and energy spent navigating a path for our patients through the NHS's bureaucratic maze.
GPs have always known this and that's why we are best placed to lead in improving services and driving the commissioning agenda. GP commissioning will finally give us the means to ensure our patients get the care organisations like NICE recommend.
As the line between the personal and professional has become blurred, what's in patients' interests has been replaced by an outdated, unrepresentative view of what's in ours.
The RCGP's response to the interest of Sainsbury's in providing primary healthcare – ‘stick to selling fruit and veg' – sounded like something an old-style union baron might have said.
The college's problem was selling tobacco products in the same premises as GP clinics. Let's take a reality check – it's a supermarket; they also sell contraceptives and they've been around a long time. The pharmacy profession hasn't been destroyed by the involvement of Tesco or Boots.
Claiming free NHS care is under threat, when there is no evidence to support that, reveals fuzzy thinking. These reforms address the supply side – not the funding of the NHS.
This isn't the 1970s and the public and media are wise to groundless scaremongering. Following this tack can only marginalise the RCGP and damage public respect for GPs.
Most of us can recognise these NHS reforms as the best opportunity in a decade to re-professionalise general practice – and in a way that's fit for the 21st century.
If the RCGP can't embody the dynamism, entrepreneurship and confidence of modern general practice, but wants to take a political stance, then perhaps health secretary Andrew Lansley should take a look at the polls and engage us through other routes.
Dr Rubin Minhas is clinical director of the BMJ Evidence Centre, a GP in Medway and a standing member of the NICE technology appraisal committee. Any views expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily any affiliated organisations.
Dr Rubin Minhas Pulse seminarJoin us at the Essential Commissioning Skills seminar to guide you through the world of GP commissioning on 15 Feb (London) and 3 March (Manchester) Equip yourself to survive the new NHS and discuss the risks and opportunities that lie ahead. Find out more here
Pulse October survey
Take our July 2025 survey to potentially win £1.000 worth of tokens
