By the way ... We CAN solve the GP crisis

IT APPEARS that little progress is being made towards a solution to the GP crisis. NHS England offering £100 million — a huge amount — to recruiters to bring in new GPs from abroad is the latest sticking plaster.

What is needed is a cool look at the bigger picture, with attention paid to how primary care has been delivered in the past and a willingness — and the political strength — to close a failing system.

Too much has changed, both in the way medical care has evolved and in the expectations of society, for the current model to be fit for purpose.

GP clinics have been run as small businesses ever since the NHS was established in 1948, each receiving income via a complex pattern of negotiated payments in addition to an annual fee of about £140 per patient per year.

This system is inefficient, expensive and of little relevance to the young doctors of today, many of whom are not interested in GP partnership and wish to work part-time, determined to have a fulfilling work-life balance.

I think we should abandon the independent status of GPs, close all surgeries nationwide and open GP units in every hospital. They should be employees on similar contracts as consultants and be able to collaborate with other specialists in hospital.

Patients would have a single medical record, closing the ever-widening gulf between specialist hospital support and care in the community. Continuity of care and 24-hour cover could be re-established, with patients allocated to named GPs on suitable rotas.

Patients would benefit, vast amounts of money would be saved and attraction to a career as a GP would spiral.

In light of the current crisis, it’s time we started thinking outside the box.