Tuesday, March 1, 2011

NHS 2011: PCTs & Exit Bonuses

In Pulse today:

01 Mar 11
By Ian Quinn

Exclusive: Thousands of GPs are being told to delay referrals until the next financial year, sparking fears that consortia will be passed crippling ‘legacy debts’ in the form of back-logged hospital activity.

“The Government bowed to pressure following Pulse’s A Clean Slate campaign and spared consortia debt built up by PCTs in this financial year – but anything accumulating from April will be GPs’ responsibility.

“A Pulse survey of 450 GPs has found as many as one GP in eight has been asked to delay referrals for the final quarter of the year until April, as trusts desperately seek short-term fixes for deficits.

“The move has ramped up tensions between NHS managers and GP consortia, who fear they will be hamstrung if they inherit back-logged hospital activity.

"NHS West Kent plans to cut nearly £30m by a wide-ranging clampdown on referrals, including deferring all IVF, gender reassignment and bariatric surgery. NHS North Yorkshire and York has told GPs to suspend all referrals for male and female sterilisation services until the end of the financial year.”

Now why in the last hours of PCTs should the CEOs and managers be so concerned to balance the books? Responsibility! Integrity! Honour! Professionalism! Love of the country!

The answer may be simpler: remember Pavlov!!!

The Cockroach Catcher worked out that it must be to do with “exit” bonuses.

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