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| GP pay £110,000 after a 10% rise | GP pay £110,000 after a 10% rise |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Average family doctor pay in the UK has risen by 10% to £110,000 in the last year, figures show. | Average family doctor pay in the UK has risen by 10% to £110,000 in the last year, figures show. |
| The data from the NHS Information Centre is for the 2005-6 - the second year of the new GP contract. | The data from the NHS Information Centre is for the 2005-6 - the second year of the new GP contract. |
| It comes after pay rose by 20% in the first year and means GPs have seen pay rise by about £30,000 in two years. | It comes after pay rose by 20% in the first year and means GPs have seen pay rise by about £30,000 in two years. |
| The deal also allowed GPs to opt out of weekend and evening care, which critics say has suffered after private firms and groups of medics were taken on. | The deal also allowed GPs to opt out of weekend and evening care, which critics say has suffered after private firms and groups of medics were taken on. |
| The combination of pay rises and out-of-hours care has meant both the government - for agreeing the deal - and doctors - for making the most of it - have come under heavy attack in recent years. | The combination of pay rises and out-of-hours care has meant both the government - for agreeing the deal - and doctors - for making the most of it - have come under heavy attack in recent years. |
| The current contract has helped boost GP numbers and improve care for patients Ben Bradshaw, health minister | The current contract has helped boost GP numbers and improve care for patients Ben Bradshaw, health minister |
| The pay rises have been fingered for contributing to the deficits with which the health service has been struggling. | |
| Many patients saying they are unhappy with the new arrangements that have been put in place and out-of-hours complaints have soared as a result. | |
| But Dr Laurence Buckman, chairman of the British Medical Association's GPs committee, defended the rises and said being a GP was "still a vocation". | But Dr Laurence Buckman, chairman of the British Medical Association's GPs committee, defended the rises and said being a GP was "still a vocation". |
| He said: "The job is enjoyable because of our dealing with patients. No business is worth what we do. | He said: "The job is enjoyable because of our dealing with patients. No business is worth what we do. |
| "Most of the increase in GP pay in recent years has come from the extra resources that GPs earn if they offer higher quality patient care. | "Most of the increase in GP pay in recent years has come from the extra resources that GPs earn if they offer higher quality patient care. |
| "The outcome from this raised quality is a better standard of health for our patients." | "The outcome from this raised quality is a better standard of health for our patients." |
| And Health Minister Ben Bradshaw said: "It is right that GPs should be rewarded for the care they provide to patients. | And Health Minister Ben Bradshaw said: "It is right that GPs should be rewarded for the care they provide to patients. |
| "The current contract has helped boost GP numbers and improve care for patients." | "The current contract has helped boost GP numbers and improve care for patients." |
| But he added that GPs needed to provide more flexible opening hours - something ministers have been pressuring doctors to do in the past few months in a bid to provide more evening and Saturday morning clinics. | But he added that GPs needed to provide more flexible opening hours - something ministers have been pressuring doctors to do in the past few months in a bid to provide more evening and Saturday morning clinics. |