03.06.13
GP services need more focus on children’s needs
GP reforms must put children’s health first, the National Children’s Bureau (NCB) has urged in a new report published today.
Better paediatric expertise and opening hours that meet the needs of working parents and their children could help to reduce avoidable child deaths and relieve the burden on A&E services.
The report indicates that young people have a poorer experience of GP services than adults, with fewer than half of trainee GPs having had in-hospital paediatric training. The number of under-16 attendances at A&E have risen by 35% in the last five years, creating a burden on services designed for emergency care.
Enver Solomon, director of evidence and impact at NCB, said: “GPs want to provide the best possible care for their patients, but the way these services are configured and commissioned means young patients are not getting the health service they are entitled to.
“We are calling on the Government to rebuild GP services from the ground up with a focus on the needs of the child. This must start with confirmation of funding for extended GP training, but also look urgently at providing a GP service at evenings and weekends, and ensure the current patient survey, used to hold GPs to account, takes into account the views of children and young people themselves.”
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