NHS England has confirmed plans to cut centrally funded occupational health services for GPs, unless there are 'performance concerns', despite increasing GP stress levels.
Under new recommendations, it is likely funding from Primary Care Trusts will be scrapped from April.
According to a report on GP news service Pulse, a spokesperson for NHS England confirmed GPs will only receive occupational health support if there are "performance concerns."
COVER previously revealed GPs stress levels had reached the highest peak since 1998.
Research commissioned by the Department of Health found job satisfaction between 2010 and 2012 had fallen due to GPs taking issue with long hours of work and remuneration.
GPs said the major factors behind their stress were a result of "increasing workloads", "paperwork" and having "sufficient time to do the job justice", the research highlighted.
The NHS England spokesperson told Pulse: "NHS England will be funding an equitable service across... independent contractors with the priority being [occupational health] services for performers on the national performers list where there are concerns about performance, [and] services for applicants to the national performers list whose preliminary health screening for fitness to work is not sufficient to give us assurance that they have no health issues.
"We will commission services that can be used by primary care providers for staff in primary care - but funding will be from the employers."
