Clare Gerada leads doctors against the White Paper

A refreshing and timely replacement for Steve Field, Clare Gerada takes over as chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners.

Pulse

Dr Clare Gerada, who takes over as RCGP chair this week, has signalled an abrupt shift in the college’s relationship with the Government by warning she will directly oppose key elements of the NHS white paper.

Pulse: Video of interview with Clare Gerada

Guardian: Doctors warned to expect unrest over NHS reforms & Opponent of NHS refroms driven by grim memories of 60s

“I think it is the end of the NHS as we currently know it, which is a national, unified health service, with central policies and central planning, in the way that [Aneurin] Bevan imagined,” said 51-year-old Gerada, who represents Britain’s 40,000 family doctors. Lansley’s shakeup will lead to a much greater role for private healthcare companies, the likelihood that England’s health system will look more and more like America’s, and GPs being blamed for things such as the NHS’s inability to cope with a winter crisis, long waiting lists and the decommissioning of services to save money, she added.