Doctors leaders in Wales have again called for a review of the way Wales receives funding from Westminster
Doctors leaders in Wales have again called for a review of the way Wales receives funding from Westminster in the face of mounting winter pressures on the NHS.
An extra £10m has been announced by the Welsh Government to help relieve pressure on the system, and the QOF (quality and outcomes framework) element of the GP contract has been suspended until the end of March.
While BMA Cymru Wales has welcomed the moves, it said further investment was needed to keep up with patient demand.
BMA Welsh GPs committee chair Charlotte Jones said she was fully supportive of the move to suspend QOF and said: ‘GPC Wales has put forward a number of additional solutions that we feel will further alleviate pressure on GP teams and look forward to hearing from the Welsh Government if these solutions can be taken forward.
‘In the future we hope that health boards will ensure that GPs both in and out of hours are properly engaged in planning for winter pressures so that the whole system can meet the needs of patients.’
Welsh health secretary Vaughan Gething said: ‘NHS organisations have been planning for this period since the end of last winter, supported by £50m of funding from us to help them balance urgent and planned care activity.’
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