“Sometimes a GP is not the most appropriate healthcare professional for a patient’s health needs.”
Those were the words of Professor Martin Marshall, Chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), as he responded to media reports that half of GP appointments featured no actual doctor present.
Rather than that being a cause for concern, however, the RCGP Chair pointed to the fact that instead many of these appointments were being handled out by highly-competent colleagues as part of more appropriate multidisciplinary teams
Instead, he called for further support and focus on these teams – in essence, on the whole range of expertise and healthcare professionals involved in delivering effective general practice care.
The Government has already promised to deliver 26,000 more members of the practice team, on top of 6,000 more GPs, with this continuing to support GP appointments being taken by the most appropriate member of the team; ensuring the GP’s time is free for those patients who most urgently need in-person consultation from the doctor.
Professor Martin Marshall, Chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: "General practice is a team profession.
“Sometimes a GP is not the most appropriate healthcare professional for a patient's health needs and we work with highly skilled nurses, pharmacists, physios, mental health therapists, and increasingly link workers, to ensure patients get the best care for them.
“Working within multi-disciplinary teams also frees up GPs’ time to see patients who really need their medical expertise, particularly those with complex health needs.
"However, the whole of general practice is stretched beyond endurance right now. GPs and our teams are working under intense workload and workforce pressures, that have only been exacerbated by the pandemic.
“We need to see the Government make good on its promise of 6,000 more GPs and 26,000 more members of the practice team – as well as introducing measures to tackle ‘undoable’ workload in general practice, so that patients can get the care they need.”
