£250m won’t fix our GP crisis
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.