TY - JOUR T1 - The medical care practitioner: Newspeak and the duping of the public JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract SP - 891 LP - 891 VL - 54 IS - 509 AU - Iona Heath Y1 - 2004/12/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/54/509/891.abstract N2 - FORTY years on, Orwell's Newspeak1 is finding its apotheosis in New Labour's modernised National Health Service (NHS). However, whereas the original form of Newspeak restricted the range of words in order to limit the expression of dissent, the contemporary form deliberately distorts the meaning of words in order to mislead and manipulate.The Changing Workforce Programme of the NHS Modernisation Agency is planning the development of a new category of health professional. Originally to be called a ‘physician practitioner’, the name has now been changed to ‘medical care practitioner’, though why this is felt to be less misleading is unclear. The idea is derived from the US model of physician assistants but has been given a new title. It is very difficult to understand the renaming other than as an attempt to deceive the public. Both proposed titles imply that the person is a doctor, a practising physician who will deliver medical care, whereas the proposal is that ‘medical care practitioners’ will be science graduates with only 2 years further training. Those in … ER -