The Implications of the Economic Crisis on General Practice

Agreeing that general practice cannot expect to be protected from the current economic crisis may sound like a turkey voting for Christmas but ignoring this reality requires an ostrich like response in burying one's head in the sand. The economic and political reality is resulting in the main political parties competing over how much less they are each going to spend. Within this climate to suggest that primary care should be exempt simply because we are the solution fails to recognise how we are perceived in the corridors of power. More than ever do we need to demonstrate our value, I believe we are the solution, but we need to prove ourselves as being fit for just that purpose. Rather than expending energy in fighting the inevitable we should focus on changing how we provide general practice.