Examination of Witnesses (Questions 160-163)
NATIONAL HEALTH
SERVICE
26 MARCH 2008
Q160 Geraldine Smith: On the point
about the new practices you are talking about, can GPs not work
together to provide that service?
Mr Nicholson: To the specification;
absolutely. We have to be clear about what we expect.
Q161 Geraldine Smith: Who will help
them? There is all the tendering process and things to be gone
through.
Mr Nicholson: They are small businesses,
they can use some of their profit.
Professor Colin-Thomé:
If you want to be serious about going into new business, then
you have to get a proper assessment and if you do not have the
skills in-house, then you need to buy them in if you want to be
a significant player. What we are saying is that instead of extending
existing practices we want more choice for patients by having
these new practices, even if existing practices are running them
at a distance. They are separate practices to increase choice
rather than expanding the existing practices.
Q162 Geraldine Smith: And even that
could lead to over capacity.
Professor Colin-Thomé:
It could do.
Mr Britnell: We made it very clear,
and I am sure you will agree with this, that all of these newly
commissioned services must be fair and transparent. That means
that anybody who wishes to provide better services to the specification
of the PCTs, taking into consideration local needs, will be able
to apply and tender for those services. If existing GPs in your
part of the world want to get together and put in a tender, then
the PCT will evaluate which the better replies or returns are.
We think this is a fair way to get competition but also collaboration
in equal measure to provide patients with better services.
Professor Colin-Thomé:
There is plenty of work to be done. When you say we will have
too much capacity, there is lots of care needed. We could do extended
hours of surgeries, more chronic disease work and more care which
is done in hospitals can be done in primary care.
Q163 Chairman: Thank you very much
Mr Nicholson. That concludes our inquiry. Obviously a new contract
was needed but it did cost the Department £1.76 billion more
than you intended and GPs generally are the real winners of this,
although a new contract was needed. We thank you for your evidence
today and we will report later.
Mr Nicholson: I should also say
that patients have significantly benefited from the new contract.
Chairman: You got the last word in, well
done Mr Nicholson. Thank you.
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