The success of a consortium including the BMA's chairman in winning a £4m GP-led health centre contract has been welcomed by ministers.

Of course it is sheer hypocrisy. Nuff said !

can it be anything else??

This is the problem when a commercial provider sets it's sights on your community, with a view to running primary care services. As a practice would you just allow this to happen or would you organise a defensive counter bid? Perhaps the issue is more about whether the counter bid was a desired reaction from the DOH when they set about creating a commercial environment in primary healthcare? It could be that Dr Hamish is just showing solidarity with other GP's in the area who feel understandably threatened? Of course Ben Bradshaw would jump on the free publicity and say it shows support for polyclinics, because that's what politicians do for a living - engineer situations and then take advantage of them.

The mere fact he is the chair of BMA gives emphasis to the topic and is also open to critisism. May be to stem the commercial company coming in to picture still can't help people thinking different way.

Between a rock and a hard place. Wouldnt we all do the same if the alternative is a commercial company. Good to see GP's winning against commercial companies.

Something like this will always cause controversy. But if one of the criticisms of Darzi's polyclinics was that their existence would increase privatisation and destroy the high quality general practice that we have, then we should surely welcome any action which ensures that such clinics stay in public/not-for-profit hands and maintain a family docotr service. In addition it really is a blessing that the chairman of the BMA is a practising GP and so understands how things are from the inside. I feel that what should be questioned is whether the PCT consulted properly - as is its obligation - and in an unbiased manner before going down this path. They may have done, but that is not the experience everywhere. Let's keep the pressure and the criticism at the door of those who would dismantle the NHS is favour of greedy commercial interests.

You have to work with what you've got. The mistake would be to imagine that anything that is done cannot be undone. The general sentiment in the profession is hostile to commercialisation in any form, with only a few spivs, chancers and plungers taking a voluntary role. Meldrum appears to be reacting reasonably and so is more deserving of sympathy than censure. If lots of us get politically active we can develop a proper 21st century health service that will leave all commercial endeavours up-ended in the ditch.

As an NP in a WIC that is being taken over by the private sector \(by a provider that as far as we can see, does not have experience in this field), we are very apprehensive about the formation of a polyclinic, that will be run entirely by the private sector. If care is not taken now, the NHS will slowly but surely be privatised. It is only then that the public will realise what the NHS represented in our lives and what they have lost. Their needs to be action at local level and government level now, if we are to stop this happening.

Its on going,  the surgeries are being taken over commercial, profit making oriented individuals who are not patient advocates , so if one of us is on the ban wagon -more grease on his elbow" if we cant beat them lets join them".Its better for GPs to spear head this politicised venture than allow "outsides" to take them over. After all partners are indirectly commercialising-not employing partners,  by employing long term locums without any benefits;  so who are the hypocrites ? Its high time we all start bidding if we have 4million!