Browse Sections
Interactive
Popular Sections
Afternoon t-stormsNews
| 
Submit Comments
Dr Kailash Chnd
advertisement
Doctor slams new GP opening hours
Tom Rowley10/ 1/2008
GORDON Brown should not be ordering GPs across the country to open 12 hours a day but should leave it to local surgeries to decide who know best about local needs.
The Prime Minister has proposed that surgeries should be open 8am-8pm on weekdays, beyond the current contracted hours of 8am to 6.30pm.
Ashton GP Kailash Chand, who is also regional representative of the British Medical Association, has said that the GPs have been told that if they do not accept the department of health proposals, the new contract would be imposed upon them.
He adds that Tameside and Glossop primary care trust has proposed a ‘realistic’ solution to extend their surgery hours which is properly resourced and GPs are giving it serious consideration.
“Nationally GPs are willing to do extended hours if practices are sufficiently resourced and we have come up with a proposal which we thought would provide extended hours without needing any extra money,” said Dr Chand.
“Crucially the implementation would also be flexible — a practice in a rural area has very different needs to one in a deprived urban area.
“The government’s proposal didn’t allow that flexibility because Gordon Brown had tied himself to a political target that would see GPs open from 8am-8pm. There is little understanding for the intricacies of how GP surgeries are run and how much practices can vary.
“Family medicine is not like any other business on the high street and it is not as simple as just bringing in any other doctor to work longer hours — patients value continuity of care.
“Seeing a doctor forced to work long into the evening could mean they were seeing a tired doctor, which is not good for patients. Seeing how badly GPs are being treated by the government could also put off young doctors from entering the profession and we still have a shortage of family doctors.
“The Prime Minister’s obsession with hitting a target is very short-sighted.”
Most recent 2 of 7 user comments
16/01/2008 at 14:37
Got an opinion you want to share?Motorists - are rising fuel prices tempting you to use public transport more?
Poll has now ended
| Card | Typical APR |
| Virgin Credit Card | 15.9% |
| Egg Card | 16.9% |
| Barclaycard Platinum | 14.9% |
| Barclaycard OnePulse For London | 14.9% |
| Capital One BT Exclusive | 13.9% |
| Company | Typical APR |
| FirstPlus Exclusive Rate | 6.6% |
| Moneyback Bank | 7.2% |
| Alliance & Leicester | 7.7% |
| Halifax (Semi-exclusive) | 7.8% |
| Bank of Scotland (Semi-exclusive) | 7.8% |
| Barclays | 7.9% |
| Provider | AER* |
|
ICESAVE Easy Access ISA |
6.10% |
|
ALLIANCE & LEICESTER Direct ISA Issue 4 |
6.00% |
|
YORKSHIRE BS e-ISA |
5.55% |
No I don't work 24 hours a day. I too work in the service sector and I am expected to put long hours in due to the complexity of some of my clients where their rush hour is during 6-8PM. Many people are in the same position as me.
The fact is we live in a 24 hour society and PEOPLE want a 24 hour doctors surgery whether that be in a form of a go to doc or a GP's office. People don't want to spend 3 hours waiting in A&E for something simple. People want to have somewhere which is easily accessible and on their doorstep. I find it absurd that most GP's don't open on a Sunday or operate on ridiculously short hours on a Saturday.
We don't need to do a run around to escape having to book an appointment a week in advance or having to speak to rude receptionists telling me what I should be doing.
You are a nurse and you wouldn't understand what people in the private sector have to put up with. You lot complain you have unsociable hours, but those hours are flexible!
People won't mind putting more money in as long as they see a return. GP's are already paid over £100k a year. That's the problem. GP's becoming fat cats who don't care for their patients and are more bothered putting in less hours, for more money.
It makes me wonder what Dr. Chand's motives are here? Is he trying to get on the board for the local PCT?
17/01/2008 at 10:35