GPs workload ‘threatens the future of NHS’
GPS are facing “unsustainable” workloads that threaten the future of the NHS, a leading medical organisation has warned.
Each doctor cares for an average 2,294 patients, new statistics show – 154 more than five years ago.
The Royal College of General Practitioners warned: “This is unmanageable and unsustainable. And without immediate action the future of general practice is at risk. If general practice fails, then the NHS will fail too.”
Despite falling GP numbers and more patients, 32.5 million appointments took place in January – 4.7 million more than the same month in 2019.
Some GPs are facing more than 60 patient contacts a day.
Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chairwoman of the RCGP, which represents over 53,000 family doctors, said: “GPs and our teams are the frontline of the NHS. Our teams have been plagued by workforce and workload crises and it is our patients who are feeling the impact of this most.
“The public are increasingly struggling to access our care and services, and they recognise this is out of the control of GPs and our teams, who are trying to do our best.” General practice is set to be an election battleground, with four in five people wanting parties to set out plans to solve chronic problems. These include the chaotic booking system that has seen advance appointments largely axed in favour of fastest fingers first when lines open each morning.
Pushed
Professor David Oliver, an NHS consultant physician, said: “We have around 3,000 fewer GPs than a decade ago, even though workload has risen. NHS GPs see twice as many patients a day as their counterparts in many other industrialised nations and so it is no surprise they are burning out.”
One GP told the Express: “We already have a two-tier health system where many of my colleagues will tell a patient that if they can afford to go private, they should.
“People are being pushed further and further into paying to access healthcare.”
The Department of Health said: “We are committed to reducing pressure on GPs and improving well-being. Our Primary Care Recovery Plan, backed by £645million over two years, marks a major investment into primary care services.”