"YOUR GP ONLY COSTS 20P PER DAY"

GPs are using a new poster to tell patients about the value for money offered by UK general practice.

The poster, produce by GP newspaper, can be downloaded from the Healthcare Republic website at http://www.healthcarerepublic.com/poster

The idea behind the campaign came from GPs in Wessex who are placing factsheets in waiting rooms to counter negative media reports about GP pay.

A 14-point list, sent by Wessex Local Medical Committees to all GPs in the region, says practices receive less than 20p per patient per day for tackling 90% of the healthcare needs of the UK public.

It says the average cost of a face-to-face consultation is £20, compared to £24 in a walk-in centre and £27 for a consultation with NHS Direct.

Bronagh Miskelly, Editor of GP newspaper, says: "We are pleased to follow up the Wessex LMC's factsheets by providing a poster for surgery waiting rooms. There has been a lot of comment about GP pay but the reality is that the government allocates an average of £54 per patient per year - or 20p a day - for GP services.

"We would encourage all GPs to visit the Healthcare Republic website to download and print their copy."

Almost half of GP pay is now performance related and recent DoH White Papers have lauded UK general practice as 'efficient and of high quality', according to the factsheets.

The A3 poster is available to download in PDF format from http://www.healthcarerepublic.com/poster

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For further information, please contact:
Bronagh Miskelly 0208 267 5000

NOTES TO EDITORS:

About GP newspaper
GP is the essential weekly newspaper for UK family doctors – in practice and at home. In an NHS that is constantly changing, GP acts as a vital forum for the profession, providing GPs with a strong voice in national politics and the mainstream media.

GP newspaper is published by Haymarket Business Media, which publishes more than 60 business and professional interest titles in the UK, Germany, USA and Asia.

About Healthcare Republic (http://www.healthcarerepublic.com)
Healthcare Republic is a website dedicated to the UK's primary healthcare sector. The website is the home page for GP newspaper, Independent Nurse magazine and an the prescribing reference guide MIMS.
With dedicated sections for GPs, nurses, pharmacists and practice staff and daily news, clinical guidance, drug records and education articles, Healthcare Republic is the home of primary care.

About Haymarket Medical
Haymarket's leading medical publications have been consistently relied on by health professionals for decades, for news, business advice and prescribing guidance.

Publications such as GP, Independent Nurse, MIMS and the website Healthcare Republic deliver must-have, high quality content and provide strong market coverage for advertisers.