§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimates he has made of the number of general practitioners who will opt out of night-time cover following the introduction of the new contract; and what contingency plans he has in place to tackle any reduction in cover. [142260]
§ Mr. HuttonUnder the new general medical services contract, which is to be introduced from April 2004, general practitioners (GPs) will be able to opt-out completely from responsibility for care during the out-of-hours period and it will become a responsibility of the 685W local primary care trust (PCT) who are working with local practices to establish how many intend to exercise this option. We expect that a large majority will exercise this right to opt out of responsibility for arranging out of hours services.
Many GPs will still participate in the delivery of out-of-hours services organised under the auspices of the PCT. Patients will therefore continue to have access to a GP if their condition requires the attention of a doctor.
These changes provide a challenge for PCTs, but they also provide an opportunity for PCTs to review and reconfigure the provision of out-of-hours services across their area and to co-ordinate this with other services including accident and emergency, social care and in-hours services such as national health service walk-in centres.
§ Mr. RosindellTo ask the Secretary of State for Health by what means a general practitioner practice can increase its level of funding. [150372]
§ Mr. HuttonThe new general medical services contract funds practices on the basis of patient need and the range and quality of services provided. Practices can increase their funding by providing higher quality services and services that contribute to the expansion of primary care. United Kingdom expenditure on primary care services will rise from £6.1 billion in 2002£03 to £8.0 billion by 2005 –06.