Briefing from the Prime Minister’s Spokesman on: GP’s pay and post office closures
GP’s Pay
Asked whether the Government would accept that the GP’s pay contract had not gone well, the Prime Minister’s Spokesman (PMS) told the assembled press that Alistair Henderson from NHS Employers had been commenting on the subject this morning. Since Gordon Brown became Prime Minister there had been a renewed push to try and get more out of the GP’s contract. This was why the Government was proposing changes to the contract, such as extending opening hours.
Put that it sounded like an admission that the Government was unhappy with the contract previously, the PMS said he did not think we were saying that. The representatives of NHS Employers was answering questions on the subject this morning and as he had said, Mr Brown as Prime Minister had made it a priority to do more in order to ensure that GP’s were more accessible to the public.
Asked if any Minister’s would be answering questions on the subject, the PMS said that that was a matter for the Department of Health.
Put that GP’s who ran practises had seen large salary increases and Tony Blair had always been supportive of that, the PMS replied that the Prime Minister’s view was that what mattered was the service that was available to the public and that was why he’d been determined to ensure GP’s opening hours were extended and became more accessible to the public.
Put that there was an option in the GP’s contract for opting out of weekend opening, the PMS reiterated that the Government was proposing changes to the GP contract in order to ensure greater accessibility.
Asked if it was possible to change the GP’s contract without the agreement of GP’s, the PMS said that there was a discussion taking place with the British Medical Association and there was a ballot of GP’s underway at the present time.
Asked if polyclinics were being used to put pressure on GP’s to agree to the proposed changes, the PMS said he would not accept that. Polyclinics were an issue that was being looked at by Lord Darzi as part of his review that would report in the summer.
Post Office Closures
Asked if Cabinet Ministers were free to campaign against Government policies such as post office closures, the PMS replied that the Cabinet had agreed that there was a need for the post office network to modernise. The Post Office was carrying out a series of local consultations about the services in their specific areas. As part of that you would expect local MP’s to respond to any concerns raised by their constituents on behalf of them.
There was no inconsistency in agreeing that there was a need for the post office network to modernise while also having a view about a specific post office. Asked if he would reject the charge that Minister’s were hypocritical, the PMS said it was not the Government making the recommendations about the specific post offices. It was the Government position that there was a need for the post office network to modernise; it was then for the Post Office itself to make recommendations which were then consulted on locally.
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