12.04.16
RCGP criticise report saying GPs' role should be downgraded
GPs have accused a report, which suggests their clinical role should be downgraded to make the health system more efficient, of being full of impractical ideas.
The report, ‘Who Cares? The Future of General Practice’, from right-wing think tank Reform, says that the system of referring most healthcare problems to GPs in the first place is leading to inefficient spending and fragmented support for patients with chronic health conditions, and that the government should abandon its target to employ 5,000 more GPs.
However, the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), have said that the suggestions are impractical and that more GPs are needed to relieve existing pressures on the system.
Alexander Hitchcock, one of the authors of the report, said: “We need a whole new model of care in general practice.”
The report recommends a ‘population health’ approach, where large-scale providers address all the health needs of a population, including encouraging lifestyle changes to prevent chronic conditions developing, and more triaged care, with simple queries potentially being dealt with over the phone or by Skype or by a nurse.
Barry Cooper, chief operating officer at Vocare Group, wrote for the latest edition of NHE about the benefits of GP consultations via videoconferencing.
The report also points to schemes developing AI technology to provide healthcare, such as algorithms to diagnose diabetic retinopathy currently being developed by the California Health Care Foundation, as potential models for new large-scale UK healthcare providers.
Dr Maureen Baker, chair of the RCGP, said retaining the 5,000 GP recruitment target was necessary to reduce some of the pressures on GPs, with almost 90% of GPs struggling to find staffing cover and almost 300 GP surgeries reporting serious financial problems.
Dr Baker said: “Many of the recommendations in today’s report cannot be done in most practices with the time and resources available. Relying more on practice nurses, for example, is impossible when many surgeries are struggling to recruit – and existing practice nurses aren’t simply sitting around waiting for patients to walk through the door, they are under just as much pressure as GPs.
“GP practices are already offering different types of appointments, such as phone consultations. But despite our efforts, demand is rising so acutely that this is having little effect in terms our workload.
“The College does recognise that there is huge potential in using technology to support patients and the health professionals who provide their care – but moving ideas from the drawing board to reality will be unachievable without investment in general practice.
“Finally, we are concerned about the call in this report for greater choice and competition in the NHS – something that has certainly not served our patients well over the last ten years and through the recent health and social care reforms.”