GP surgeries to be given new cash

Primary care has been given a boost with extra funding of
£100 million, the prime minister announced.

Tony Blair revealed that the equivalent of £10,000 per GP
practice will be given to primary care organisations to promote new
ways of working, and to reward ideas that improve services.

Initially a lump sum of £5,000 will be paid to help
practices improve services including extended opening hours and
better heart and cancer services. At the end of the financial year,
the second boost will be given providing the practice hits its
local incentive targets.

Blair announced other key initiatives including improved cancer
services with each primary care group or primary care trust to
receive £5,000 to support the work of a GP or nurse leading on
cancer; £25 million over three years to teaching hospitals in
disadvantaged and under doctored areas around the country, and the
appointment of a national director for primary care services.

Health secretary Alan Milburn said: “The role of primary care
will become more – not less – important in the future.
GPs and health practitioners on the ground are dealing with illness
and disease now that in the recent past could only be dealt with in
hospitals.”

* Also published today was a report on how social care services,
and the NHS managed winter pressures this year.

The main findings were:- 65 per cent of all people aged 65 and
over were immunised against flu in England, and there was a 75 per
cent reduction in the number of patients waiting 12 hours for
admission.