Over the last year I have been feeling increasingly despondent over the way the Government has been treating our profession. As a G.P. I felt that the new contract held hope for us to lead the way in improving evidence-based medicine, but not at the expense of holistic, patient-centred medicine, where we involve the patient in the decision – making.
However, it has become increasingly evident that the Government has been using the contract to make us do more work for less pay. Reducing the number of QOF points attached to each target, (so that we still have to do the same amount of work for less money on that target), and increasing the number of areas that we have to work on, often related to patient wants or Government vote-catching rather than patient needs, have eroded our trust in the contract.
The last straw came in December, when the Government railroaded months of careful negotiations to impose their chosen agenda of increasing the hours we work for free (again). All GPs will be aware of the despondency attached to this, and the feeling of being let down by both our representatives and the Government. In addition, the contract repeatedly rewards over-prescribing rather than holistic, patient-centred care, and lip-service is paid to patient-centredness by asking them to complete yet another questionnaire.
I was deeply disappointed when, at our local LMC meeting for GPs, we discussed the coming “vote” . When asked who was up for undated resignation, as helped our cause so much in the 1970s, no one felt able to put their hand up – current employment law means that, in running our businesses, our employees have so many rights that resignation is unfeasible.
Life is equally uncertain for our hospital colleagues, with nobody sure whether DGHs will last into the next decade, and maternity units and A&E departments being merged left, right and centre.
Sorry for the rant! Now for the positive!
If a large proportion of doctors in the UK had invested their money wisely for the future, my dream is that we could help shape the NHS without feeling so beholden to the Government.
Here’s to a financially free future!
Alison
Financial Freedom for Doctors can help you to work out how soon you can be financially free, enabling you to work part time, take better holidays or plan for an earlier retirement. Find financial freedom through property investment, the stock market and the internet.
Comments