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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. But Dr Laurence Buckman, chairman of the British Medical Association's GPs committee, defended the rises and said family doctors deserved to paid well.
The current contract has helped boost GP numbers and improve care for patients Ben Bradshaw, health minister We are taking action to tie GP income more closely to patient experiences 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".
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. Nonetheless, 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." The pay rises have been fingered for contributing to the deficits with which the health service has been struggling.
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. Complaints
And many patients have said they are unhappy with the new out-of-hours arrangements with the number of complaints soaring as a result.
Health Minister Ben Bradshaw maintained care had improved and said it was right GPs were rewarded for that.
But he also said he wanted to see doctors adopt more flexible opening hours - in the past few months the government has been telling GPs it wants to see more evening and weekend clinics.
"We will be working with GPs to ensure that at least 50% of practices extend their opening hours and we are taking action to tie GP income more closely to patient experiences."