Responding to the launch of the consultation for the Government’s 10 Year Health Plan, BMA council chair Professor Philip Banfield said:

“The BMA, as the trade union and professional association for doctors and medical students, has always been willing to have frank conversations with Government about the reality of the front line working in our health systems and what is needed for positive reform: for doctors, for patients and for the health of the country.

“We will gladly take this invitation to continue engaging with the Government on behalf of all our members – whether they are working in general practice, hospitals, public health, universities or elsewhere – and the patients we care for.

“We will naturally be considering our response carefully and submitting it in due course – but it is vital that amid any changes, the voice of doctors and their colleagues is not lost, and that Mr Streeting sticks to his word that ‘the best ideas won’t come from politicians in Whitehall’ but from staff.

“Front and centre, we cannot be clearer: we need investment now, especially as we approach winter, and not wait for another review that concludes the obvious about the under-resourcing of public health and healthcare in the UK.

“Several questions arise from the policies floated in today’s announcement. There is no doubt that prevention is better than cure, and ensuring people can be seen earlier, outside of hospital, benefits the whole system – easing pressures and saving money. But it’s very unclear how ‘neighbourhood health centres’ would be run, by whom and how they would be paid for. GP practices already provide invaluable continuity of care in people’s communities, proven to reduce poor health outcomes and hospital admissions, with family doctors working with a wide range of healthcare professionals. It is not the model that is broken, but lack of investment to keep practices’ heads above water and help GPs and their teams meet patients’ needs that is holding them back.

“The idea of a digital ‘patient passport’ may sound convenient in principle, and doctors are as frustrated by IT systems that do not talk to each other as their patients are surprised by it. But discussions and choices around patient data need to involve cast-iron safeguards and ensure they do not exclude those who are not digitally engaged or literate.

“Likewise, we have to be realistic about the potential of things like wearable tech as a prevention tool, and who will benefit from this – and those who will be left behind.

“In terms of technology, we cannot underemphasise the need to get the basics right first. Millions of hours are wasted each year due to faulty and outdated computer systems – whether this is waiting half an hour to log on to a constantly crashing computer, or having to share one ancient PC that is wheeled around a ward.

“An over-reliance on new tech risks pushing us from a two-tier health system to three-tier: where the wealthiest use private healthcare, the tech-literate middle classes embrace a rapidly changing NHS, and the poorest continue to be disenfranchised and all but forgotten.

“A national conversation around the state and future of the NHS may seem long overdue, but for staff, the conversation has never stopped. Let us be clear that doctors are the first to embrace innovation and to modernise practice to facilitate the best use of their unique skills and expertise, but fundamentally this first requires supporting and investing in the basics – that means staff, premises and facilities, and keeping people well in the first place. We look forward to finally making progress in our conversations with Government.”

Ends

 

Notes to editors

The BMA is a professional association and trade union representing and negotiating on behalf of all doctors in the UK. A leading voice advocating for outstanding health care and a healthy population. An association providing members with excellent individual services and support throughout their lives.