Doctors swing into action

FAMILY doctors across Huntingdonshire acted quickly to protect their patients as soon as the future of the PCT was threatened. The district s 23 GP practices joined to form Huntscomm to administer Huntingdonshire PCT s £100million-plus annual budget for c

FAMILY doctors across Huntingdonshire acted quickly to protect their patients as soon as the future of the PCT was threatened.

The district's 23 GP practices joined to form Huntscomm to administer Huntingdonshire PCT's £100million-plus annual budget for commissioning secondary healthcare services, including specialist consultations and hospital treatment.

The PCT has continued to provide back-up services, with the doctors providing clinical input.

Huntscomm chairman Dr Luke Twelves, from Ramsey, said: "What the Government has done is to devolve this part of the PCT budget to individual practitioners. When we heard the rumours about the PCTs, we felt it was vital that we retained the Huntingdonshire voice.

"Every GP clubbed together and decided to pool all our budgets, with the aim of maintaining a strong voice whatever was to happen to the future of the PCT."

Huntscomm aims to standardise medical practices as far as possible across the 23 general practices, and has recruited a patient representative to its strategic board.

"What we are aiming for is to make treatment as seamless as possible, and we are working very closely with Hinchingbrooke Hospital to achieve that," Dr Twelves said.

"There is always going to be concern when there are deficits in some areas, while others' budgets are in balance. So we are going to have to fight hard for our patients."

He said that, while many individual GPs had written to Mr Lynch in support of the Hunts trust, Huntscomm was not set up as a political lobbying organisation and had taken no position in the debate on the future of the trusts.