#GPnews: Hunt delayed announcement of new package after request from GPC

17:00 Finally for today, let’s leave you with our sarcastic comment of the day, from an anonymous GP on the BMA’s support package for practices:

’The BMA have a point – if there is one thing that scares politicians it’s combo stickers and posters

See you tomorrow…

16:15 A very interesting line from our story on the package of new measures to be announced next month. The Government and NHS England had been keen on announcing the measures this month – but the GPC asked them to hold off until after the special LMCs conference to enable GPs to express their concerns without being pre-empted by a Government announcement.

15:15 In case you missed it, Simon Stevens said that the package for general practice to be announced next month will be more significant than the GP contract. Hmm – we’ll believe it when we see it…

12:57 The Department of Health is getting a bit of a kicking on social media after claiming that from 2020 patients will be given a ’definitive cancer diagnosis or all clear’ within 28 days of urgent GP referral. Many GPs saying that this target has not been thought through.

@DeptHealthPress Wow! That’s very clever. You do know Medicine doesn’t work like that, don’t you? We don’t deal in certainties.

— John Cosgrove (@DrJohnCosgrove) January 28, 2016

11:00 A bomb squad was called to a Bedford practice after a suspicious package was found, according to Bedford Today. Rumours that the ‘suspicious package’ was Jeremy Hunt’s plans for general practice are yet to be verified. 

Luckily, GPs are at best placed to fight the war on extremism.

10:16 Picture of the day has to be this very grand-looking GP practice in Bristol. I wonder if the partners at The Family Practice in Cotham swan around in their tea breaks pretending they are in Downton Abbey (‘Tea breaks? What are those?’ I hear you cry). But is this the most impressive practice in Britain? Let us know if you practise from an even more impressive pile.

Beautiful morning in #Bristol spotted this GP practice – possibly the nicest GP building in the country?? #teamGPpic.twitter.com/QZCnQuNkST

— Thomas Round (@drtomround) January 28, 2016

9:30 An interesting, if rather sobering, comment on the interview with Dr Chaand Nagpau l, by a GP who has chucked in the career for something less stressful. The anonymous GP writes: ’I left six months ago at 49 yrs old, absolutely fed up and worn out. I now sell car trailers I import from China which is why I am up now chatting to suppliers on Skype. The NHS is doomed and GP will fall first.’

Under the Government’s policies that have left GPs burnt out, you might not be able to see a GP, but you’ll never want for a car trailer at least. 

9:15 Welcome to today’s live blog, edited by Jaimie Kaffash. Our top story today is GPC chair Dr Chaand Nagpaul calling for every practice in England to be funded a pharmacist. He also says that the GPC will act if the conference votes in favour of mass resignation. Read the full story here, and the full interview here.