Wonder who’s behind the threats? It would be good to find out!
By Marina Soteriou, 25 June 2012
Royal College of General Practitioners chairwoman Dr Clare Gerada has revealed the college was threatened with losing its charitable status if it was too political.
Dr Gerada told the NHS Confederation annual conference in Manchester on Friday that she was in ‘constant fear’ about what the college could say and sought legal advice.
She refused to tell GP magazine who made the threat or if it was made by a politician, but she did say: ‘We were warned that we risked losing our charitable status if the college was overtly political which would be disastrous for the college. If you lose your status you lose bucket loads of money.
Claire Gerada refused to tell GP magazine who made the threat or if it was made by a politician
‘We were within our right and we were invited to discuss the Health and Social Care Bill. We were not being political. I was careful not to be party political which I am not. We were careful to stick to the remit. We were concerned that health services could be undermined. I was under a lot of pressure last year.’
The threat did not affect the college’s actions, according to Dr Gerada who added: ‘The college and its members were very brave and stood behind me when we were very much the only royal college speaking out about it at the time.’
Dr Gerada said there were two big issues with the NHS at the moment and it was going through a period of ‘phenomenal austerity at a time of major reform’.
On the reforms, she said: ‘The real fear is that it will increase cost, introduce co-payments and increase fragmentation.’
She said this year’s NHS Confederation conference for NHS managers and providers, seemed less miserable than last year’s but there was still a lot of anxiety.
‘We have to move onwards. We have to make this work. We have to support GPs to make this work’, she said.
6 Responses
Resorting to blackmail now – how low can they go? Must be resorting to plan C – desperation measures.
Good God they must be worried. Blackmail! Surely this intimidation is illegal. Now they’ve stooped so low they must be able to see up their own arses. Which is what they are. Arses. No respect for anything but money money money. This move is disgusting and repellant.
Modern ” Democratic Politics ” and Politicians are Lower than the Sewer despite
being in an Ivory Tower of Privilege or Perhaps Because of It
No to Political Suppression and Yes to a Better Government in Office
quote : ” If you lose your status you lose bucket loads of money. ” – says it all to me – if they had any sperical objects ,they would just tell em to stuff their money – and stand on principle – like a lot of these “charities ” they must be in a pretty bad way if they HAVE to cow tow to threats from the government to cut their funding
lets have it out in the open – who said what ?? – what threats where made ?? – expose these tactics – better to fall on a principle than continue under duress
( imo as always )
I concur with the previous poster, expose the person responsible, and show them up for the reprehensible individual they are……..now who could it be i wonder ?
over a barrel and if you say anything cut your tongue and money offf na its not blackmail its called bullying big time by our masters who do not care jeff3