Discontent over GPS

Patients hardly need detailed reports to tell them that seeing a GP is becoming harder and harder. But now there is a number to put on the everyday frustration of so many – one of delays, agonised waits on hold to secure an appointment, and then a rushed consultation with a locum with no grasp of the individual’s case history, and no prospect of continuity of care.

That number is a staggering 1.5 million, which according to research from Pulse magazine is the number of patients who have lost the service of their local GP in just eight years. That is the staggering impact of the closure of some 500 practices, many of which have shut in deprived areas that need them most. Of course, the price for a collapse in primary care is only paid later, as medical conditions which could have been nipped in the bud develop and have to be treated at greater cost – to both the patient and the NHS – in hospital.

The issues behind the crisis are well known. Many GPS are retiring early, others work only part time. Such is demand that doctors can pick and choose where they work, making recruitment in poorer places harder. As practice facilities run down, they are eventually closed, or merged with others further away, severing the valuable relationship between a patient and a GP who knows them well.

With Britain’s tax burden rising ever higher, the service that taxpayers receive continues to crumble. It is a recipe for discontent and a solution is required. GPS are certainly key to the “prevention better than cure” mantra required in future. But they also have a very cosy deal. They should know that, as record numbers of patients express dissatisfaction with the nation’s health provision, radical change is no longer the political taboo it once was.