Meeting of the Parliament 23 February 2016
I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer, although anyone listening to it would think that we do not have a problem with general practice at all, and that although the Royal College of General Practitioners asserts that the share of funding—as opposed to the absolute funding—has reduced by £1.6 billion, there are no consequences.
I say to the cabinet secretary that the constant reiteration of the increase in the number of GPs is distinctly unhelpful and is not welcomed by the Royal College of General Practitioners or GPs. The number of full-time equivalents, which is what is critical to the workforce, has increased by only 35 since 2009, during which time the population has increased to such an extent that even to have stood still, 110 more GPs would have been required.
There is to be a new contract. Will the cabinet secretary publish the principles that the Government will use to underpin the new contract, so that we can have an open discussion about them?