0:00
What are we to make of this move by the government to reduce hospital waiting lists
0:04
by apparently spending £80 million giving GPs bonuses when they don't refer people to secondary care
0:15
Now, is this something which is a sensible way of looking at this
0:21
getting those numbers down, making sure people are sent in the right direction
0:25
rather than just very easily put on a list and sent to hospital? I'm afraid, look, I don't know any GP who refers people to services
0:35
that they don't need and don't require, right? On the flip side, of course, I don't want to see, you know
0:42
I want some sensible moves in that direction as well, if there are possible ones
0:47
I think this is a smokescreen, though, if I'm totally honest. We all know that GPs who've come to my surgery in the last few weeks
0:55
and months have all said they are not being compensated for the national insurance tax rise
1:01
which is absolutely hammering GP services up and down the country and it's costing them hundreds of millions of pounds
1:07
So this money here is just an absolute drop in the ocean as to what the government is already forcing them to pay out
1:14
And you know what that means? It means that the moment that GPs are going to have to restrict services
1:18
or cut back on staff, like receptionists and other things who are absolutely those front-line actual NHS workers
1:25
ensuring people can get appointments, they're going to have to cut back on that
1:28
because of the national insurance tax that Labour has imposed. That national insurance tax is hitting businesses
1:34
which actually create the wealth in our country to fund our public services, and it's also hitting the public services, like our GPs, like our schools
1:41
And both have got in touch with me to say all the money that's been provided by the government to initially compensate them for the rise in national insurance isn't enough
1:49
and they're going to have to cut back on staff as a result of it. I just think it's a..
1:54
I think it feels to me like a gimmick when the GPs are really crying out for proper support
