Under the coalition, the NHS will undergo the most radical reforms since it was implemented in 1948, which will see GP’s deciding which services it buys from a range of hospitals.
Dr Denis Kipper of the BMA said “Obviously GP’s will need a skills update in web surfing. With the current economic climate, value for money is a cornerstone of the modern NHS, so it’s important that our patients know we will do our utmost to secure them the cheapest hospital care possible using the latest browsing technology.”
Speculation has led to concern that GP’s will remain focussed on face to face patient contact, rather than “health brokering”, an insider from GP Consortia said today. The unnamed source went on to explain “There is a sincere incentive to move away from patients and put GP’s at the heart of patient choice. “
The latest white paper outlines the Department of Health strategic aims, one of which is to see patients in complete control of their health, whereby the need to physically see a GP becomes outdated. Instead, patients will themselves access an online expert information system, which will triage and diagnose their condition, create prescriptions (subject to the current price of shares of the drug company) and order home diagnostic kits for blood tests.
This will leave GP’s free to become accredited health brokers.
Aleksandr the Meerkat explains his role in this new venture: “It is very wonderful for me that the GPs want to use my company for the internets. It is all very excite. Peoples who are sick need hospitals. And GP’s need to compare them hospitals. With a reliable servermabob, thees should be no problems at all. Seemples.”
A Department of Health spokesman was unavailable for comment.
