A NEW contract for family doctors should help patients and practices, a Gwent GP claims. Plans to ballot GPs on the proposed contracts have been delayed while doctors' leaders and NHS chiefs investigate reports that the new funding formula may leave many doctors financially worse off.

However, Bedwas-based Dr David Bailey, chairman of Gwent's Local Medical Committee, which represents area GPs, said the contract would offer a better way to deliver high quality care.

He said: "We hugely welcome the idea of being encouraged to do, and be rewarded for doing, things we know enhance patients' life-expectancy, in fields like heart disease, diabetes and asthma.

"At the moment there's almost a disincentive around things like the national policy on Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) because of the impact on other work.

"But, for the first time, there will be a built-in element for delivering proven best practice and a knock-on effect in helping cut back on heart attacks and the need for heart surgery.

"The number of patients on a practice list will not be so important. The bottom line will be that if you are committed to the NHS and to delivering better quality, you get paid more. "It's a new concept, tuning into a different ethos in younger GPs, which is more about providing a quality service.

"If there is scope for employing, say, nurse prescribers to see patients with routine complaints, then GPs can spend more time with patients with serious and complicated conditions."

GPs would no longer be obliged to provide on-call services, which has been particularly welcomed.

Dr Bailey said: "That will help recruitment and retention to an extent, and the contract will make it easier for GPs to move around.

"I think Welsh GPs are likely to favour the new contract, but there has been a missed opportunity to improve pensions, and it will be a while before practices with recruitment problems benefit.