Drive to safeguard patients’ choice
Independent Doctors Federation AGM.
Foot and ankle surgeon Mr Andrew Roche, specialist committee chair, announced the IDF has been receiving ‘lots of good evidence’ to support its PMI campaign.
Mr Andy Roche
He explained the effort aims to establish a fair fee structure, eliminate the fee-assured status imposed by insurers and advocate for independent oversight to safeguard doctors’ and patients’ interests.
The Federation has employed a team from RPP Impact Advocacy ‘to challenge the status quo of stagnant fees, limited treatment options, and the resultant diminished patient choice due to opaque practices’. The campaign will seek national media coverage.
Mr Roche reported that the insurance industry had caused stress in his own practice and often influenced critical decisions, such as patient referrals for physiotherapy – ‘a partnership I hold in high regard for patient rehabilitation.’
Independent GPs are backing the campaign.
IDF GP committee chair Dr Shaima Villait complained that although they were not affected in the same way, they had seen part of their expertise taken away by insurers who would not authorise work from some consultants whom GPs had advised their patients to see.
She said: ‘They would prefer us to refer via an open referral pathway. We are working with our secondary care colleagues to change this to ensure patient choice is recognised.’
Dr Villait told the meeting: ‘Our patients come to see us because they trust us to refer them to people that we know, whom we trust, whom they trust us with.
‘Unfortunately, we are not able to do that as much as we used to, our hands are being tied, and this is actually taking away our skills set and taking away our patients’ rights and choices.
‘And I think, as private GPs, this is something we really do have to stand up for. I don’t know how many of you have been affected by this, but I get more and more patients coming back to me saying “Sorry, that consultant is not recommended”. “He’s not on the list” is what I’m told; they don’t know why that consultant is not on the list.’
She was then having to search to find a consultant who had the right credentials for the patient – and most of the time she did not know any of them.
- See ‘New IDF president’