The road map for PCGs doesn't exist yet, but my guess is that like all the
other NHS reforms, the man in the street won't be able to tell that they
have happened!

Regarding US-style health care, it would be great for us doctors, 'cos we
would make a mint, which is why all medics in the US support the system to
the hilt. It definitely delivers a terrific standard of medicine to those
who can afford it. The prob in the US, is the proportion of GDP health
consumes, and the very high proportion of consumers who do not have access
to high standard health care, because they cannot afford insurance. This
would deliver the type of two-tierism that we are always so afraid of here.

The interesting thing about the difference between the US and the UK systems
is that there is no statistical way of proving a difference between the
health of the two populations.

Andrew

Dr. Andrew N. Herd MRCGP
Family Physician, Medical Adviser to Durham Health Authority
Honorary Lecturer in Primary Health Care, Durham University
Medical Editor, Practice Computing

> -----Original Message-----
> From: [log in to unmask]
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Graham Ride
> Sent: 03 June 1998 16:33
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Patient Care Grinders (PCGs)
>
>
> As a potential patient, devil's advocate and Jo Public I need to
> know, in a
> nutshell, what the governments PCG proposal is so that I can
> assess why you
> say all these things will obtain. I know you can say 'read the
> White Paper'
> but I also know you know that that is not the point, if the Great British
> Public needs to know (and we do) they are NOT going to read White
> Papers. I
> also need to know why USA style health care is such a bad thing.
>
> I'm not an idiot but treat me as one. Gently though! <g>
>
> Graham
>
>
>
> >I outline below why I think the government proposals are bad for the
> >health of the people:
> >
> >1.  Postcode discrimination continues
> >2.  Divisions and disputes amongst family doctors could have an impact
> >on delivery of care
> >3.  No time for doctors to do doctoring
> >4.  Increased rationing
> >5.  Loss of the patient advocate role played by family doctors
> >6.  Loss of family doctors' independence
> >7.  Move towards USA style health care through HMOs,  managed care and
> >hyper-surgeries
> >8.  No one to apply the real pressure on government to address the real
> >ills of the NHS
> >9.  Inefficient management by untrained and unsupported doctors who
> >currently barley have time for patients
> >10. Increased say of social workers and social services in who gets
> >what
> >11. Risk of closure of friendly neighbourhood small Practices
> >12. Risk of closure of rural and isolated Practices
> >13. The same potentially inefficient management will extend to hospital
> >and community budgets and services
> >14. Cash limiting of drug budgets could lead to conflicts of interest
> >and restriction of certain medicines to particular groups of people
> >15. Pressure on family doctors to refer less to hospital
> >16. Longer waiting lists
> >17. Delays in implementation innovation and new treatments because of
> >budget pressures
> >18. Poor service due to low morale,  poor Surgery premises and pressure
> >to cut staff
> >19. More complaints and litigation,  at the same time,  cuts in legal
> >aid mean only the rich can litigate
> >20. Patients' voice is not heard on any of this
> >
> >Ahmad
> >________________________________________
> >
> >Dr Ahmad Risk
> >http://mednetics.org
> >home: +44 1273 724866
> >work:  +44 1737 240022
> >fax:     +44 1737 244660
> >
> >
> "The lesson of history is that he (mankind) never avoids catastrophes; he
> just spends his time recovering from them" - Gordon Rattray Taylor
>                                ------------------
> Graham P P Ride, Cybermetrix Ltd.
> Free y2k screensaver on our home page.
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