'Promoting better health' white paper

The government's plans for improving primary healthcare services were set out in the Promoting better health white paper.

It set out its intention to strengthen the role of primary care in health promotion and the prevention of ill health. It would amend the terms of service for doctors to include health promotion.

To do this, the government pledged a special fee for those doctors who carried out health checks and would introduce incentives for meeting vaccination and immunisation targets.

The white paper also proposed the abolition (with some exceptions) of free eye testing and dental check-ups to fund broader improvements in primary care. These proposals formed the basis of the 1990 GP contracts.