FULLY STAFFED PRIMARY CARE SECTOR KEY TO BEING HEALTHY

IT’S an issue which we have addressed on numerous occasions, in the past, and will probably return to in the future. And that is, the shortage of GPS across North Staffordshire.

There haven’t been enough for many years and the consequences of that have largely been two-fold.

Patients struggle to book appointments to see their GPS whose workload is increased by the shortage of colleagues in the surgery.

Primary care is key to the health and well being of a region. Get that right and there are benefits for patients, GPS and the NHS as a whole. Get it wrong and the consequences are not worth thinking about. As we report today, Clinical Commissioning Groups are now trying to do something about a situation which sees 33 current vacancies for family doctors. Worryingly ten of them date back at least 18 months. The two CCGS in this area are now paying for a 12 month advertisement in the British Medical Journal in an attempt to attract more GPS. While general practice across the country is facing similar problems, it appears that North Staffordshire faces particular issues because of the negative perceptions of the area. It seems that GPS

‘ Currently there are 33 vacancies in this area for family doctors and worryingly 10 of them date back at last 18 months

once’ are happy to train at Keele Medical School but they are qualified two-thirds go on to work elsewhere.

Preventing that exodus is key to providing primary care with the manpower required to help reduce some of the area’s longstanding health issues.