The rise of the medical McJob: why we should turn the clock back.

摘要

When Aneurin Bevan, William Beveridge, and Ernest Bevin proposed a National Health Service in the mid-1940s, the idea was met with considerable resistance from the medical profession. It was eventually accepted in 1948 with the promise of sweeteners which were, for consultants and GPs respectively, the right to continue private practice and independent contractor status (whether working single-handed or in partnership). This prototype has survived over six decades and is the one within which most GPs still work. However, in recent years there has been a noticeable trend towards recruiting doctors who work in other ways, and current vacancies are most likely to be advertised as salaried posts. In this essay I will argue that, far from being a laudable choice, the erosion of the GP principal concept is a worrying trend undermining the interests of patients, GPs, and the wider medical profession.