GPS ‘WORKING 12-HOUR DAYS’ TO EASE INCREASED WORKLOAD
‘No quick fix to crisis in sector’
FAMILY doctors in Staffordshire say their workload is continuing to rise – despite local NHS leaders claiming that pressures on health services are now easing.
While demand for urgent care and waiting lists are starting to come down, GPS have warned commissioners that primary care is still facing major problems.
Latest figures show that primary care activity is up around seven per cent on pre-pandemic levels, while the number of GPS is 7.2 per cent down on five years ago.
Doctors are working 12-hour days and putting on extra sessions, but say they are ‘just keeping our heads above water’.
GPS’ representatives told the governing body of Stoke-ontrent and Staffordshire’s clinical commissioning groups that steps taken to address the issue had so far failed to ease the pressures on primary care.
Dr Simon Jones, a GP in Staffordshire, said: “I’m not really conscious of an easing of pressure in primary care.
“By way of example, my practice, which has got 6,500 patients, was offering 22 sessions a week with three partners – we’ve now increased that by eight, so we’re now offering 30 sessions a week.
“We’re paying for that, but I’m not worried about the money. We’ve
increased by eight sessions and we’re basically just keeping our heads above water.”
Lynn Millar, below, executive director of primary care for the CCGS, said action was being taken locally and nationally.
She said: “GPS are working harder than ever to deliver more. We’ve been working very closely with general practice on an access plan, who’ve been completely on board with us, and we’ve seen a lot of those postlockdown pressures from last year start to ease.
“We know that people are able to get through on the phone, and they are now able to have an appointment with a GP, either face-to-face or by telephone.
“But we know that practices are under pressure. We know there aren’t more GPS out there.
“There’s a national commitment to increase the primary care
workforce over the next five years, following the previous commitment from 2016 which didn’t necessarily pan out. So what we’ve got to do is work very differently in general practice.”
Measures have included the recruitment of 342 practitioners into ‘alternative’ roles, such as social prescribers, prescribing pharmacists and physios, to ease the pressure on GPS.
The CCGS have also appointed two clinical GP leads to look at recruitment and retention.
Mrs Millar warned there would be no ‘quick fix’.
Dr Anna Onabolu, who works as a GP in Cannock Chase, said: “The pressure on GPS is increasing, not easing. We’re working 12 hours a day, we’ve increased the number of GPS we have, funding has gone down.
“I think the Government’s plan to increase GPS will have the same result as the one from 2016 unless they do something radically different.”