There are “no credible plans” for seven-day working which address the GP workforce crisis, 11 doctors have said in a statement.
Last Friday, the government responded to the petition, which currently has nearly 200,000 signatures, calling for a debate about health minister Jeremy Hunt’s competency, however doctors have deemed their response “disappointing”.
The 11 doctors explained why, in their opinion, NHS workers are supporting a vote of no confidence in Jeremy Hunt. This was deemed partly due to “a promise of seven day GP working services with no credible plans for addressing the GP workforce crisis.”
Their statement read: “Jeremy Hunt has a track record of bad decisions, poor policy and failure to engage with professionals. This was the last straw. The NHS sat up, took note and decided enough was enough.”
The doctors also said Hunt has shown a “lack of engagement” with NHS professionals, a “refusal to involve them in shaping the future of the NHS” and “persistent lies, propaganda and misinformation to the public about the NHS”.
The government’s press office said that September would be the soonest a debate on the competency of Hunt would occur, if it does, due to the summer recess.
