29.07.14
GP surgeries ‘turning away millions’ as under-investment bites
Patients will struggle to get appointments to see a GP or nurse almost 50 million times this year, according to new research.
The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) says that the number of times that patients have to wait more than a week for an appointment will pass the 50 million barrier for the first time in 2015, up from 41.9 million occasions in 2013 and 46 million this year.
The RCGP blamed the lack of investment in general practice, and won support from the National Association of Primary Care (NAPC), whose chair Dr Charles Alessi said: “Primary care needs and requires reinvigoration, and we are disappointed that NHS England is not taking the steps required to do so. Repeated assaults on primary care contracts – significantly, PMS contracts held by more than four out of ten practices – are not the answer to the problems we face; investment in primary care is the solution.”
The RCGP research says that patients in urban areas face particular problems in failing to get appointments, and highlighted that GPs and practice nurses conduct 90% of patient contacts in the NHS in England but receive only 8.5% of its budget.
The ageing population and increasing pressure stemming from a rise in long-term conditions means England now needs 8,000 more GPs, the royal college says.
RCGP honorary treasurer, Dr Helen Stokes-Lampard, said: “The fact that patients in England will be unable to see their GP when they want to on more than 50m occasions in 2015 is a truly shocking indictment of the crisis that is enveloping general practice.
“No GP wants to turn away a single patient – but surgeries are being faced with no choice because they don’t have the resources to cope with the increasing number of older people who need complex care, whilst also meeting the needs of families and people of working age.
“The profession has been brought to its knees both by a chronic slump in investment and the fact that there are now simply not enough family doctors to go around.
“Whilst some of these patients will try calling the practice another time to get an appointment, this isn’t good enough – many will either ending up in hospital or, worse still, will not seek medical treatment at all.
“The government must urgently move to increase investment in general practice to 11% of the NHS budget by 2017 – and recruit 8,000 family doctors.”
The RCGP research is based on an analysis of the GP Patient Survey, issued earlier this month.
Dr Nav Chana, GP at Cricket Green Medical Practice, Mitcham, and NAPC’s vice chairman, said “Of course we recognise the need to invest in primary care. However the model of care delivery needs to change so that general practice is seen as a key part of the system of care with a greater focus on improving population health outcomes, not just reacting to demand.”
Tell us what you think – have your say below or email [email protected]