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General Practitioners: Conditions of Employment

Volume 465: debated on Wednesday 24 October 2007

To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 5 July 2007, Official Report, column 1183W, on general practitioners: conditions of employment, what his Department’s (a) highest and (b) lowest estimate was of the effect the new contract for general practitioners would have on (i) average salaries for general practitioners and (ii) annual additional costs to the public purse as part of the discussions prior to the 2002 Budget. (159840)

The majority of general practitioners are independent contractors and do not receive salaries as such. Instead, they take a share of the net profit their practice makes in a year, after taking into account all earnings and expenses of the practice. The new contract determines a significant proportion of the earnings a practice receives. In agreeing the new contract, the Government guaranteed to increase investment in primary medical care services by 36 per cent. or £1.8 billion, in England, over three years ending 2005-06.