Do GPs deserve their pay rise?: Of course successful hard work deserves reward

doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7522.965-a

BMJ 2005;331:965 (22 October), doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7522.965-a

Letter

Do GPs deserve their pay rise?

Of course successful hard work deserves reward

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

EDITOR—Timmins' article on general practitioners' recentpay rise voiced the common view that if targets are exceededthen they were undoubtedly too easy.¹

Since 1997 funding for the hospital sector has grown quickly,with general practice funding becoming a successively smallerproportion of NHS spending. During this time, hospitals havebeen adept at transferring responsibility for chronic diseasemanagement and follow-ups to general practice, with no correspondingtransfer of funding. Now, when general practice has the opportunityto receive funding for this work, under a far more stringentand detailed performance management framework than has everbeen accepted elsewhere in the NHS, the idea that success inthis framework might be due to good organisation, teamwork,and hard work is simply not considered.

A further misconception is that the relation between this fundingfor additional work and pay rises for general practitionersis simple. Practices have invested (often . . . [Full text of this article]

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Graham Wheatley, general practitioner

Munro Medical Centre, West Elloe Avenue, Spalding, Lincolnshire PE11 2BY w1@mac.com