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General Practitioners

Volume 406: debated on Wednesday 4 June 2003

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To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the average change in income arising from the proposed GP contract for GP practices which do not qualify for the proposed minimum practice income guarantee; and if he will make a statement. [115232]

[holding answer 22 May 2003]: The new contract for general medical services negotiated between the General Practitioners Committee of the British Medical Association and the NHS Confederation provides for an unprecedented level of additional investment in primary care services. If the contract is accepted, overall investment in England would rise by 33 per cent, over the next three years.The minimum practice income guarantee is designed to ensure that no practice loses out from the new allocation formula, providing they achieve a minimum level of quality. Practices that gain from the allocation formula will not receive a minimum practice income guarantee and will have their global sum allocation determined by the formula. Most practices will see a substantial rise in gross income. The average increase will depend on what services general practitioner practices provide and the level of quality they achieve.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many GPs are training in Somerset in 2002–03. [115416]

The September 2002 national health service work force censuses will be published shortly. The table shows the number of GP Registrars nationally and in Somerset health authority in September 2001 and March 2002.

GP Registrars (GPs in training) within Somerset health authority Septmber 2001 to March 2002
Numbers (headcount)
2001120022
England1,8831,908
of which:
Somerset health authority (QD5)2825
1 Data as at 30 September 2001.
2 Data as at 31 March 2002.

Source:

Department of Health General and Personal Medical Services Statistics.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice he issues to General Practitioners on the (a) diagnosis of medical conditions and (b) issuing of prescriptions by telephone, and if he will make a statement. [115471]

The Department has not issued any advice on the diagnosis of medical conditions or the issue of prescriptions by telephone to general practitioners.