Trolley dash

Released 06/03/2009

by Matt Jane

Would you consider opening a branch surgery in Sainsburys?

Rumours of supermarkets running GP surgeries have been around for some years, but it look as though plans could be going ahead in Leeds and London - cities also earmarked for Darzi access centres.

GPs in these cities may well be wondering how the new surgeries could affect their own business; or they may be considering joining forces with Sainsbury's and opening a franchise in a surgery.

It's already shaping up to be a divisive issue among GP leaders: is joining a franchise getting into bed with then enemy, or adapting to survive and spread the expertise of general practice?

After all, if a local doctor is available for extra hours in a centre of the community, isn't that what general practice is all about?

There are a myriad questions around practicalities such as data sharing not to mention ethics. And if a surgery joins the franchise to ensure its own survival, should it feel guilty about compromising the ‘spirit of general practice'?

Whichever side of the fence you sit on, there's no doubting that as we finally start to see large scale franchising and private provision in general practice, things will be changing even faster than before.

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