Concerns over number of GPs planning to leave
Forty per cent of GPs in Kent and Medway are planning to leave general practice in the next five years.
A study by the Kent Local Medical Committee (LMC) said the majority were planning to retire, but warned younger recruits were not replacing them in the numbers required.
It spoke to staff from 250 surgeries in the county and found half of respondents already have a practice vacancy for a GP and 40% have yet to fill unoccupied positions for one or more nurses.
The alarming figures come amid an expected population increase of 5.4% in Kent and Medway by 2021, meaning health services will come under more pressure.
It is also anticipated the number of people aged over 65 will rise by 25% during the same period.
Of the 343 doctors who responded the majority 32.9% worked in west Kent, while 4.66% work in Swale.
The LMC, which acts as a voice for GPs, said there was a mismatch between the reality of the situation and the government’s objectives to have an 8am to 8pm service.
It added: “Seventy per cent of respondents consider their cur- rent workload to be unmanageable and 90% consider this to have a negative impact on the quality of patient care. How can this be sustained over additional hours?”
Dr Julian Spinks, a GP in Strood and vice chair of the Kent LMC, said: “I’m not surprised so many of my colleagues are thinking of leaving.
“We have an ageing profession in Kent so there’s a fair number of those reaching retirement.”
He said it was such a difficult environment many doctors won’t consider staying on beyond their retirement date.
Dr Spinks added: “We have a profession struggling with inadequate premises, it cannot recruit new doctors to replace those leaving and there is financial pressure which is pushing practices to the wall.”
He called for extra funding and schemes to attract new medics to train as GPs to keep up with demand.
Dr Spinks said a newly launched project providing mental health care for under pressure GPs had already been overwhelmed by demand from doctors suffering anxiety and burn-out.
“Ultimately the worst thing is it is starting to impact on safety and quality of care,” he added.