§ Mr. StreeterTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement about the progress of the negotiations with the medical profession on general practitioners' out-of-hours services.
§ Dr. MawhinneyI am announcing today—after nine months of negotiation—agreement between the British Medical Association and the Government on changes to general practitioners' terms of service.
The patients charter confirmed the 24-hour nature of the GP service and both the BMA and I confirmed that again today. Patients will continue to receive emergency treatment when and where they need it—including a home visit if necessary—at any hour of the day or night.
What we have agreed is a sensible clarification and modernisation of the GPs' terms of service which:
make clear that all patients will continue to be able to speak directly to a doctor out of hours and that they will still receive promptly the emergency care they need;make it possible for GPs and practices to work on a more co-operative basis, spending less time on call, but working more intensively when they are on call;clarify the GP's responsibility for deciding whether an individual needs to be seen immediately at home and, if not, when and where treatment can most appropriately be given;support the development of an additional new way for family doctors to provide out of hours emergency care—the primary care centre.A press release, including comments from Dr. Ian Bogle, chairman of the General Medical Services Committee of the BMA, will be issued and copies placed in the Library and the Vote Office.