Making GPs work more for less money is not the solution.
News - GP prescribing incentive schemes face axe
Working more efficiently cannot mean more being done unfunded in primary care.
I really do want to prescribe as efficiently and effectively as possible. Apart from a few gentle nudges, this is usually the case, though there are grey areas where best price may not be best value. I could improve my prescribing by spending my time off going through price lists, running searches and comparing prescribing costs with others.
I could (and do) restrict the practice formulary to more effective and better-value drugs. If I spent longer, the formulary could be updated regularly and be more cost-effective. But this could have a severe impact on my family life and mental health (and bring forward my retirement age).
Consortium executives must realise the jobbing GP has a finite capacity. When incentive schemes are removed, decision makers must expect a drift in performance.
From Dr Nick Chiappe, Plymouth, via pulsetoday.co.uk
