The charge came as Department of Health officials revealed controversial cost-cutting proposals suggesting patients should self-examine and email their symptoms to their GPs for diagnosis. Officials believe £1 billion a year could be cut from the annual NHS bill by the scheme.
Meanwhile, figures showed that in Britain some 267 people in every 100,000 are diagnosed with cancer every year, ranking this country 22nd in the world for cancer rates, based on World Health Organisation statistics. Men in the United Kingdom are in 33rd place for cancer while cancer rates among women put Britain 12th in the same table.
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley insisted the Government’s health service reforms will “improve the quality of service because doctors will get more say on commissioning treatment”.
Newly elected Oldham East and Saddleworth Labour MP Debbie Abrahams, a former NHS area manager, used her first House of Commons question to ask Mr Lansley if the Health and Social Care Bill would allow the new NHS commissioning board to hand out bonus payments to GP consortia.
She warned against importing the worst practices of the big banks but Mr Lansley told her: “For years general practices have been remunerated in part through a quality and outcomes framework, the principle being that if they deliver better outcomes for patients they should have a corresponding benefit from doing so.”
If the bill becomes law, all 151 of England’s primary care trusts and 10 strategic health authorities will be abolished. GPs will then get control of around 80% of the NHS budget, allowing them to commission services for patients.
British Medical Association GP spokesman Laurence Buckman expressed grave concerns about email diagnoses.
Thousands of patients in England have already been issued with handheld devices and asked to send in their own measurements to their surgeries as the Department of Health is carrying out a pilot of 6,000 patients with
long-term illnesses such as heart failure and diabetes to see if they can monitor and treat their condition at home.
“The safest method of dealing with patients is seeing them. People will get worse care. Most doctors are scared of email consultation”, said Dr Buckman.
