The failures of two contracts

doi:10.1136/bmj.326.7399.1097

BMJ 2003;326:1097-1098 (24 May), doi:10.1136/bmj.326.7399.1097

Editorial

The failures of two contracts

Signal deep problems

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

The British government's 10 year plan for reforming the NHSset great store by reforming the way staff worked.¹ The public, said the plan, wanted more and better paid staff, using newways of working. Some of the biggest problems with the oldNHS were "old fashioned demarcations between staff and barriersbetween services and a lack of clear incentives and leversto improve performance." The plan promised in 2000 that forthe first time there will be modern contracts for both general practitioners and hospital doctors. There will be a big extensionof quality-based contracts for general practitioners. The numberof consultants entitled to additional discretionary paymentswill rise from half to two thirds, but in return they willbe expected to increase their productivity while working forthe NHS. Three years on, reform of the consultant contract is stalled, the new general practitioner contract is hangingby a . . . [Full text of this article]

Richard Smith, editor

BMJ

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