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Special report

Special report Gary Hayes, Editor drugs GP contract pay dispute threatening lives A dispute over new ‘GP contract’ payments is threatening GP prescribing schemes for thousands of addicts. The Glasgow Primary Care NHS Trust (PCT) and local GPs are at loggerheads over enhanced contract payments for methadone prescribing. As a result, new patients are being refused medical attention and the future of care for existing methadone schemes is under threat. All this, says the PCT, is down to money, or the lack of it. Glasgow PCT says it cannot afford the £350 currently being paid to GPs for each methadone patient they see. The city has too many addicts says Terry Findlay, General Manager of the Primary Care Services. It has over 7 ,000 opiate dependents according to a recent PCT survey. Instead the PCT wants to pay £250 per head, £100 short of the Government benchmark. At a local Medical Committee meeting earlier this year, GPs voted not to accept less than £350 per patient. GPs say £250 is well below the recommended amount and will not encourage enough GPs to prescribe methadone. ‘Methadone patients are difficult patients for many GPs’ says Dr Richard Watson a local GP with http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Drugs and Alcohol Today Pier Professional

Special report

Hayes, Gary
Drugs and Alcohol Today , Volume 4 (2) – Jul 1, 2004
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Publisher
Pier Professional
Copyright
Copyright © 2004 by Pier Professional Limited
ISSN
1745-9265
eISSN
2042-8359
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Abstract

Gary Hayes, Editor drugs GP contract pay dispute threatening lives A dispute over new ‘GP contract’ payments is threatening GP prescribing schemes for thousands of addicts. The Glasgow Primary Care NHS Trust (PCT) and local GPs are at loggerheads over enhanced contract payments for methadone prescribing. As a result, new patients are being refused medical attention and the future of care for existing methadone schemes is under threat. All this, says the PCT, is down to money, or the lack of it. Glasgow PCT says it cannot afford the £350 currently being paid to GPs for each methadone patient they see. The city has too many addicts says Terry Findlay, General Manager of the Primary Care Services. It has over 7 ,000 opiate dependents according to a recent PCT survey. Instead the PCT wants to pay £250 per head, £100 short of the Government benchmark. At a local Medical Committee meeting earlier this year, GPs voted not to accept less than £350 per patient. GPs say £250 is well below the recommended amount and will not encourage enough GPs to prescribe methadone. ‘Methadone patients are difficult patients for many GPs’ says Dr Richard Watson a local GP with

Journal

Drugs and Alcohol Today – Pier Professional

Published: Jul 1, 2004

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