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The Tories have pioneered an amazing breakthrough in medical technology – by putting limits on sickness, it has emerged.

Well, not quite. What they actually proposed is to place limits on the number of times people are allowed to visit their GP.

The idea currently being floated among the Tory elite, asked activists whether they agree or disagree with the idea of an annual limit on GP appointments. The paper also asks whether evening and weekend appointments with GPs and consultants are a “luxury the country cannot afford”.

I doubt anybody sane would consider the idea of having to spend their weekends seeing a doctor a “luxury”, but the Tories think otherwise.

The proposals have caused outrage among campaigners who have lambasted this latest scam by the Tories as one of the biggest assaults on the sick and disabled since ATOS.

Critics have also pointed to the fact that those with chronic or terminal conditions may effectively be priced out of seeing a doctor if charges are introduced for appointments or if limits are placed upon GP visits.

The idea also represents a clear breach of the fundamental principles of the National Health Service of giving treatment based on clinical need and being free at the point of service.

The revelation follows the appointment earlier this month of Nick Seddon as Downing Street health policy adviser. Formerly of the think-tank Reform, he has suggested NHS cuts and charges for GP visits.

Other ideas floating in the document include:”Families should be responsible for the care of their infirm relatives” and “GPs should take greater responsibility for out-of-hours care in their area.”

Dr Clare Gerada, chair of the Royal College of GPs has condemned the idea and said she would typically see an elderly patient up to 10 or 15 times a year.

She said: “This was obviously written by someone who has never been unwell, or has never met people who work in the health service. People come because they are ill or because we are asking them to come because we are concerned about them. What we should do is fund general practice sufficiently so that we can offer flexible appointment times.”

A petition has already made its way into circulation to oppose the proposals and can be found here: https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/dont-cap-GP-visits.

But while this idea has been almost unanimously condemned, the public should also be on their guard against this unworkable idea being used as a way to distract against other potentially devastating ideas by the Tories.

UPDATE:

As a result of the petition, Jeremy Hunt was forced into an embarrassing climbdown over plans to introduce limits on GP visits and vowed: “never” to introduce such a limit.

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