09.04.15
More than 90% of GPs want longer patient consultations
More than 90% of GPs believe that the standard 10 minute consultation is not sufficient, and more than two-thirds think there should be longer consultations for patients with longer term conditions, a major new survey has revealed.
The British Medical Association’s (BMA’s) poll of 15,000 doctors also found that nine in 10 GPs say that their workload has negatively impacted on the quality of care given to patients.
The poll, which was carried out in January and February of this year, collecting a mixture of postal and online responses, revealed that two-thirds of GPs believe that it is preferable to provide longer consultations of greater quality, even if it means waiting longer to see a GP for a routine appointment.
At least seven in 10 GPs also rank increasing the number of GPs (74%) and longer consultation times (70%) amongst the most important factors that could help them better deliver the “essential components of general practice”.
The desire for longer consultation times is most pronounced among trainees (83%), freelance GPs (83%) and practice employed salaried GPs (78%).
Commenting on the results, BMA GPs committee chair Chaand Nagpaul said: “This poll highlights that GPs’ ability to care for patients is being seriously undermined by escalating workload, inadequate resourcing and unnecessary paperwork.
“Many GPs do not feel they have enough time to spend with their patients and that these intense pressures are beginning to damage patient care.
“We need politicians of all parties to stop playing games with the NHS by making glib promises to voters which ignore the reality that many GP practices are close to breaking point.”
However, an NHS England spokeswoman said that appointment times were not mandated by NHS England and were at the clinical discretion of GPs. She added that the 10 minutes was just the average time they were meant to last.
She said NHS England’s Five Year Forward View, published last autumn, recognised GPs were under pressure and a "step change" was needed in investment.
The Conservatives have pledged that, if they are elected in May, all patients would be able to access a GP seven days a week for routine appointments by 2020. But the latest poll revealed that almost all GPs (94%) do not feel practices should offer seven day opening in their own practices.
It was noted that doctors are willing to explore options to improve access, with a one in five GPs (21%) suggesting they could provide extended hours by working in networks with other GPs through shared facilities.
“While there is a willingness from GPs to look at offering extended hours, more than nine in ten GPs do not feel that their practice can provide blanket seven day services when GPs are struggling to provide even basic care to their patients,” said Dr Nagpaul.
Dr Maureen Baker, chair of the Royal College of GPs, added that as the UK’s population ages, GPs are managing diseases and conditions that even a decade ago would have been automatically referred to hospital consultants, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to meet patients’ needs within the confines of the traditional 10-minute consultation.
“It is important that patients are able to see a GP when they need one – and that patients with complex and multiple illnesses are given the time that they need – but hard pressed family doctors are already working record hours to try and meet demand,” she said.
“In some cases, practices will find it difficult to offer longer consultations to some patients or introduce longer opening hours because there are simply not enough GPs to run clinics. We urgently need extra investment in general practice and many more GPs if this is to become widespread.”
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