Iain Hotchkies wrote:
> My practice - like many small/single-handed practices - closes at
> 1pm on Wednesdays. The out-of-hours service covers from 1pm onwards.
> Twas ever thus.
>
> When the PCOs take over out-of-hours, things will change.
>
> I went to a LMC meeting last night. At the front of the house were
> various great and good peeps. One of them - Professor something -
> stated that the DOH view on this matter was fairly clear.
>
> The notion of the half-day in the week developed in the days when GPs
> were on-call 1-in-1 or 1-in-2 and most worked Saturday mornings.
>
> Under nGMS, no Saturdays, GPs working '9-til-5' (or 8-til-6.30), and
> thus no good argument for half-days.
>
> Personally, Wednesday afternoons off from the practice are keeping me
> sane (more or less). Under nGMS, I could come to an arrangement with
> neighbouring practices to concoct a rota of sorts, so that I might
> only have to work 1-in-whatever Wednesdays. I could employ a locum to
> cover Wednesday afternoons for me - at 180ukp per session, 720ukp per
> month.
>
> Anyone else facing the loss of their half day?
I am afraid that this seems to be one of the very few downsides of the
new contract.
Still, with the huge pay rise, themassive increase in pensions, the
control of the demand from the patients, the reduction in form filling
and administration, we can't really complain can we?
I hope that this minor point does not sway too many people when we vote
on the new contract later in the year before it is implemented next
year.
Trefor
(or is it 2004 already???)
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