Whether Jeremy Hunt is returned to the health brief is unknown, but what is certain is that David Cameron will be returning to number 10.
For GPs, it means that they have dodged one bullet – the reinstatement of the 48-hour target for a GP appointment promised by Labour, let’s raise a glass to that.
It also means that the NHS is promised the £8bn that its chief executive says it needs to survive the next five years (Labour only promised £2.5bn). And hopefully it will mean goodbye to GPs checking old people’s boilers.
But that is not to say that GPs should be celebrating. They may not have to supply appointments in two days for everyone, but the Tories did promise same-day appointments for the elderly if they need one.
The Prime Minister’s very own seven-day access experiment will continue, despite signs that it may merely stoke further demand rather than alleviate the pressure on A&E.
The Conservatives promised 3,000 less new GPs than Labour, although neither had any credible plans to ensure that they could deliver them in any case.
Further cuts to welfare and social care are likely to prove a massive headache to GP practices already coping with many problems that have very little to do with health.
We are spared another NHS reorganisation by stealth as Labour planned to hand commissioning power to local authorities, but all the architecture of the Health and Social Act (including its competition regulations) will remain.
But let’s face it, any new Government has a massive mess to clear up. The NHS needs much better planning, more GPs and a serious look at the way it is funded.
The NHS has been the weak spot for the Conservatives this election. They have struggled to defend their record in power, leading to some lurid headlines – particularly about the crisis in GP practices – leading right up until polling day.
Even the resolutely Tory-supporting Daily Mail ran a front page the day before the election on a Pulse survey showing that GP waiting times are set to rise due to the pressures on the service.
And so fixing this is likely to be the question in David Cameron’s mind as he sits down to form his new Government, with GPs right at the forefront of his thinking. This could be a good opportunity for the profession, but I have been in this job too long to make any predictions on whether he will reach for the right answers (his instinct so far has been appalling).
And being in the political spotlight is not always a comfortable place to be – hold on for a bumpy ride.
Nigel Praities is editor of Pulse
,
Whether Jeremy Hunt is returned to the health brief is unknown, but what is certain is that David Cameron will be returning to number 10.
For GPs, it means that they have dodged one bullet – the reinstatement of the 48-hour target for a GP appointment promised by Labour, let’s raise a glass to that.
It also means that the NHS is promised the £8bn that its chief executive says it needs to survive the next five years (Labour only promised £2.5bn). And hopefully it will mean goodbye to GPs checking old people’s boilers.
But that is not to say that GPs should be celebrating. They may not have to supply appointments in two days for everyone, but the Tories did promise same-day appointments for the elderly if they need one.
The Prime Minister’s very own seven-day access experiment will continue, despite signs that it may merely stoke further demand rather than alleviate the pressure on A&E.
The Conservatives promised 3,000 less new GPs than Labour, although neither had any credible plans to ensure that they could deliver them in any case.
Further cuts to welfare and social care are likely to prove a massive headache to GP practices already coping with many problems that have very little to do with health.
We are spared another NHS reorganisation by stealth as Labour planned to hand commissioning power to local authorities, but all the architecture of the Health and Social Act (including its competition regulations) will remain.
But let’s face it, any new Government has a massive mess to clear up. The NHS needs much better planning, more GPs and a serious look at the way it is funded.
The NHS has been the weak spot for the Conservatives this election. They have struggled to defend their record in power, leading to some lurid headlines – particularly about the crisis in GP practices – leading right up until polling day.
Even the resolutely Tory-supporting Daily Mail ran a front page the day before the election on a Pulse survey showing that GP waiting times are set to rise due to the pressures on the service.
And so fixing this is likely to be the question in David Cameron’s mind as he sits down to form his new Government, with GPs right at the forefront of his thinking. This could be a good opportunity for the profession, but I have been in this job too long to make any predictions on whether he will reach for the right answers (his instinct so far has been appalling).
And being in the political spotlight is not always a comfortable place to be – hold on for a bumpy ride.
Nigel Praities is editor of Pulse
