Seven out of 10 GPs in England are concerned about conflicts of interest resulting from the Government's NHS reforms, according to a new study.
The report found that three-quarters of family doctors do not agree with proposals to link practice income to the performance of their commissioning group, while 85% do not believe that practice boundaries should be abolished.
Some 68% are concerned about the impact the Health and Social Care Bill could have on the patient-doctor relationship, while 69% are worried about their proposed role as both the commissioners and providers of care.
More than 40% of GPs took part in the research, which was commissioned by the BMA
Dr Laurence Buckman, chairman of the BMA's GPs Committee, said: "The huge response rate shows how strongly GPs feel about the topics in question, particularly when it comes to the changes being made to the health service in England.
"GPs do not want the trust patients put in them to be damaged by these reforms, yet this is exactly what they fear will happen.
"The Government must take heed and further revise its plans for the quality premium in particular, to avoid any potential damage to the doctor-patient relationship."
