Family doctors deserting Labour Party: poll

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Family doctors in Britain will be deserting the ruling Labour Party in the next election, according to a poll published on Friday.

Only 11 percent of more than 1,000 general practitioners (GPs) who took part in a survey for the magazine Pulse plan to vote for Labour in the election expected on May 5.

“Our poll reflects GPs’ deep dissatisfaction with the government’s handling of the National Health Service, particularly its love affair with the private sector and the intrusive and bureaucratic way it has managed many areas of health care,” said Phil Johnson, editor of Pulse, a magazine for family doctors.

Thirty percent of GPs said they would vote for the Conservatives and 20 percent said they would opt for the Liberal Democrats. Thirteen percent were undecided or did not state a preference. The remainder chose other parties.

In the last election, 30 percent of GPs backed Labour, while 26 percent voted for both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats.

“GPs want to be left to do what’s best for their patients, but they feel continually frustrated by the government’s obsession with targets, directives and tick-box medicine,” Johnson added in a statement. 

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