Several contributors to the February edition of BJGP offer views about the future of general practice in particular and, by implication, the NHS as a whole.
Like climate heating, the evidence is all about us that change is occurring and that it is likely to be inimical to all concerned. Despite the black propaganda of some in government, there has never been a reluctance to countenance appropriate change on the part of GPs. To the contrary we have experienced perpetual revolution for decades now and kept our heads above water, even when the changes we have embraced have been self-evidently gross errors of policy emerging from heedless dogmatists.
If we are sincere in our belief that we can do better, perhaps we should enter the political arena formally. Dr Richard Taylor has been elected twice to parliament on a ‘health service’ ticket, so we would be following precedent.
A healthcare professional standing in every constituency at the next election would be an interesting challenge to the conventional parties, none of whom, as far as one can gather, have much to offer the NHS — a subject that has an immediate and powerful meaning for almost all electors.
Who knows? We might win and, being unencumbered by conventional political constraints, we could accomplish much besides effectively modernising the NHS and placing it outside the immediate ambit of future political interference.
I'm game. Anyone else?
- © British Journal of General Practice, 2006.
