Exclusive Two thirds of GPs who have been personally involved in commissioning over the past year believe their work has not improved patient care, a Pulse survey reveals.
The poll of 250 GPs found that 44% took part in commissioning work within the last twelve months – but that of those that did, just 31% thought it had brought ‘any benefits for patients' in their area.
The survey also showed one in four practices are now devoting more than one day of GP time each week to commissioning,. Almost a third (31%) said they dedicated between half a GP's day and one full day, while 45% said less than half a day a week was spent on commissioning.
Dr Coral Jones, a GP in east London, said: ‘How can I know how many wheelchairs are needed in City and Hackney? The whole thing is a big folly.'
‘We spend a lot of time going to meetings. Two and a half to three hours out of GPs' afternoons is quite a lot of time being taken away from patients.'
