Norfolk GPs Highlight Concerns in New Survey

8.23.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 14th Oct 2008

Norman Lamb, Simon Wright, and April Pond taking health concerns to Westminster

A significant new survey of Norfolk GPs has revealed widespread disillusionment with developments in the NHS.

The survey undertaken by Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary Norman Lamb MP, and Lib Dem Parliamentary Spokespersons Simon Wright (Norwich South) and April Pond (Broadland) found that:

• Morale was falling

• There's little or no confidence in the performance of the Government or the Norfolk PCT

• Negative views on progress with practice based commissioning, patient record safety under the national IT programme, the Government's new computerise booking system for hospital appointments, the future funding of the NHS and GP superclinics

North Norfolk MP Norman Lamb said: "This survey demonstrates the extent to which the Government has lost the confidence of GPs. This is a highly unsatisfactory state of affairs and demonstrates the failure of top-down bullying from Whitehall. There must be a new approach where communities and clinicians are given the power to make things work locally for the benefit of local people."