Value Blog

June 2008 - Posts

• 1,600-plus signatures so far

  Thank you to the practices who have returned petitions. We have 1,600-plus signatures so far. There's still time to download a petition as we won't be collating them until 19 August, so you have just under 60 days to go. If your patients value general practice, please take part. A special thank you to the BMA who forwarded some petitions which were sent in error to it. There's also still time to enter the Valuing General Practice Survey to be entered in a draw for £100 worth of Amazon vouchers. This closes on 19 August too and so far we have had 65 participants. It's been a busy week for the campaign. GPC chairman Dr Laurence Buckman mentioned the need for the government to value general practice in his speech to the LMCs conference in London on 12 June. The following day GPC Scotland chairman Dr Dean Marshall made a similar call. We don't believe prime minister Gordon Brown has yet responded but please do tell us if he calls you at 6am and mentions it.  Apologies that GP hasn't quite managed to tell the moving tale of one patient who values his GP in its pages yet. With so much going on, we've been short of space but it should be with you soon. Check out GP's 27 June edition for a well-argued article by NHS Alliance chairman Dr Michael Dixon explaining why it has thrown its weight behind our campaign.   Posted Jun 21 2008, 08:09 AM by Neil Durham with no comments

• Launching the Valuing General Practice survey

  How do you measure the value of general practice? It's a question we've thought long and hard over. So, today we launch the Valuing General Practice survey. Funding cuts, extended hours, polyclinics and other government plans threaten practice viability. GP is keen to measure the value of general practice and pass on that message to government. Complete our survey to be entered for a draw to win £100 worth of Amazon vouchers. Posted Jun 11 2008, 08:29 AM by Neil Durham with no comments

• Why patients value general practice

  GP received a letter this week from Leslie James Wright. His wife died after suffering from cancer and he was keen to express his gratitude to her GP Dr David Pouncey who works at the Bell Lane surgery in Minchinhampton, Gloucester. Read next week's GP for the full story but it's a good example of why patients value general practice. This week's GP has a range of Valuing General Practice campaign articles. Look out for the King's Fund report revealing that there is no evidence to support polyclinics, news that next week's LMCs conference will debate whether the government banks on world-class general practice 'on the cheap' and a feature about a GP-led collaborative which claims to have achieved Lord Darzi's goal of integrated care without the expense of building polyclinics. Thanks to those practices who have returned their campaign petitions. I should reiterate that there is no deadline date on them because, unlike other campaigns, we're not putting our feet up for the summer. Valuing General Practice is with you until the foreseeable future.   As well as Leslie James Wright's moving endorsement of his GP, GP will also include a feature about how to campaign successfully against polyclinics and a piece from the National Association of Primary Care about why it is backing the campaign. Posted Jun 06 2008, 11:43 AM by Neil Durham with no comments

• What would you tell Gordon Brown at breakfast?

  Thinking up campaigns is a funny business. You spend months racking your brains for something that needs championing and then, as soon as you have settled on the big idea, everyone's talking about it. Or so it seemed at a discussion at think tank Civitas last night entitled 'Polyclinics: an integrating or disentegrating force?'. While, no-one mentioned GP's Valuing General Practice campaign by name, the importance of both value for money and services valued by patients were recurring themes. There was much agreement that forcing polyclinics on communities was wrong but that investment was welcome and change needed.  RCGP chairman Professor Steve Field told the delegates he had met prime minister Gordon Brown twice in the last 10 days, at least once over breakfast. And it was the sort of arresting image that those asking questions from the audience just could not shift from their minds. 'Well, if I were meeting Gordon Brown for breakfast, I'd tell him ...' Summing up was best done by Healthcare Commission chairman Sir Ian Kennedy. He said: 'I'd tell Brown over breakfast that if you care about localism, commissioning and value for money you can do it all by organising care locally, listening to what people value in the community and commissioning that. You also need to have the good sense to first work with professionals and patients to produce integrated care. The polyclinic is not as important as that ultimate goal.' Posted Jun 02 2008, 09:00 AM by Neil Durham with no comments