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    Doctors fight government plans on opening hours

    Posted on 20/12/2007

    GPs have accused the government of trying to force through plans to extend surgery opening hours, saying ministers had 'effectively put a gun to our head'.

    Gordon Brown made the creation of 'patient-friendly' opening hours a priority during his campaign to become Labour leader, despite a survey of two million patients which showed that 84% were happy with current arrangements.

    The Department of Health plans to reward GPs with a package worth £150 million if they accept the changes, which would see surgeries opening at weekends and in the evenings, according to the Guardian.

    The doctors' trade union, the British Medical Association (BMA), said today that its members are happy to extend hours without payment, but that they only want to offer two extra hours a week for every 6,000 patients, rather than the three required by the government.

    Talks are now said to be at the point of breaking down, with the BMA claiming that doctors could even see their funding cut if they do not provide the extra hours.

    Quoted on BBC News, Dr Laurence Buckman of the BMA's GP committee said: 'We believe the government's method of negotiation is nothing short of a disgrace. They have effectively put a gun to our head and said if we don't accept their proposal they will impose a more draconian contract.'



    Category: Healthcare


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