The Scottish Mail on Sunday

£250m won’t fix our GP crisis

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HEALTH Secretary Sajid Javid revealed his new blueprint to address the GP crisis and get doctors seeing patients face-to-face again – including injecting £250million into practices to recruit more GPs.

Financial support – it works out at £30,000 per surgery – is welcome. But it won’t be a quick fix. Patients need us more than ever, with annual GP appointmen­ts rising by ten per cent since 2019.

More people are suffering with chronic diseases such as diabetes, but we’re also increasing­ly relied upon for logistical things such as travel insurance letters. I’m not making excuses for surgeries that shut up shop: I’ve been a victim of this, as a patient, myself. But we must avoid GPs being stretched too thinly.

Patients can play their part by seeing a pharmacist or nurse where appropriat­e, leaving doctors with time to see those who really require our help.

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