Monday 3rd February 2014. GPs in the IMO have repeated their warning that the Government is using the extension of GP cards to children under the age of six as a “trojan horse’ to push through a radical reform of the terms and conditions of doctors dealing with public patients without any negotiation.

The Chairman of the GP Committee of the IMO, Dr. Ray Walley said the draft contract unveiled by the Government last Friday proposed a range of radical changes to the current GMS contract. Under these changes, the Government was seeking to increase the clinical workload of GPs, increase the number and complexity of consultations, undermine the clinical independence of General Practitioners and impose new responsibilities on GPs. Dr. Walley said that these proposals require real and meaningful negotiations as happens with all other sectors dealing with Government.

Over the coming weeks the IMO intends to engage extensively with members and will be providing a detailed analysis of the proposals so as to enable GPs to assess the impact on their own practices and make informed decisions. Such analysis will examine each and every aspect of the contract changes in terms of workload, resource requirement, cost of provision and additional duties.

“The manner in which the Government is seeking to impose these significant changes is neither acceptable nor practical and there are serious issues about the sustainability of the current model of General Practice which is the cornerstone of our health services. We can and want to do more but only with planning and adequate resources. We call upon Government to immediately commence real negotiations.”