CHAIRMAN'S BLOG: AUGUST 5TH 2008
 |
"GPs are not engaging with the PCT”, so runs the mantra of the PCT Worrits as they fret about World Class Commissioning. The Darzi Review “Our vision for primary and community care” discusses world class commissioning in paragraph 7.17 to 7.22: they are well worth a read. But are GPs disengaged? Or have the PCTs become remote from General Practice (now referred to as Primary Care)?
I was an excited and energetic member of our local Primary Care Group which after twelve brief months morphed into our PCT. Wearing my educational hat I became Clinical Governance Lead and as such had entry onto the PEC and the Board. |
|
Over the course of three years, Clinical Governance became concerned with the fag-end of quality, and was box tickingly boring while the progressive innovatory stuff withered on the vine. As there was more fun in a mild case of coryza than ticking health and safety boxes I resigned. I handed my PEC rubber stamp and my Board rubber stamp onto the next poor fellow.
|
|
My frustration was then compounded by an epidemic of community specialist nurses. Their managers then declared unilateral independence with a rotation of district midwives so rapid it would not have disgraced the whirling dervishes. Now, Community Services employ 800 staff (more than local general practice) none of whom directly input into the patients medical record! I am told there are 56 departments and I can think of but a dozen.
The largest most imposing building in my small post industrial town is the central Victorian church. This will soon be dwarfed by a £7.8 million four storey L.I.F.T. building which if the artist’s impressions are to be believed is of dubious architectural merit. The last edition of our local r
|
|