British Medial Association does not trust Quality Premiums.

British medial association and the NHS Reforms.

The British medial association (BMA) has openly criticized the quality premiums section of the NHS reforms. They fear that the changes proposed by the unthinking government could be seen as paying doctors to not treat patients. The British Medical Association has had the response of “we’ll review it” by the Department of Health. The department of health has stated that they will reward commissioning bodies for improving health care. That could not be a more vague term of course.

They have instead stated that great care will be required. I am not entirely confident in the Department of Health’s ability to run a massive operation with ‘great care’.

Damaging to Trust

The British Medical Association has stated that if the reforms are to go ahead without a serious consideration of the opinion of the public, it will damage relationships. Patients may find themselves in the belief that doctors are fobbing them off instead of referring them for the medical treatment they badly desire in order to make a quick buck. It is much like the NHS Direct telephone support, consumer confidence in that is not too great I know from my family’s experiences of it.

This comes during a time when confidence in the conservative party’s leadership is low. The British Medical Association has already placed a vote of no confidence in the Health Secretary earlier this year. They can only hope that the government strategy to involve many players in the deciding of what bodies are suitable for the quality premium: overseers, patients and doctors and presumably the British Medical Association will play a part in that too. They say that no health care system can provide what everyone wants, cant it really? Surely everyone wants a clean hospital, clean doctor and to have access to the treatment for the problem they have? Is that really so unattainable? If so we seriously need to reconsider the strategy of the NHS in a cross party basis.

References
Financial Times | GPonline