Fears for future as scale of Wales’ GP crisis laid bare
WALES’ doctors crisis is deepening with GP surgeries closing at a rate of one per month last year while an exodus of medics from the UK was today forecast following the Brexit vote.
According to Welsh Government data, the number of surgeries in Wales dropped from 459 in 2014 to 441 in 2016.
And while the access to surgeries has improved, GPs say they are performing under enormous stresses across the country.
BMA Cymru Wales’ GP Committee described the figures as “extremely worrying” and urged surgeries to seek support early on.
Meanwhile, the BMA has warned that 42% of European doctors are thinking of quitting the UK, with a further quarter unsure following the vote to leave the EU.
The BMA said that could spell “disaster” as the NHS was already facing “crippling staff shortages”.
About 10,000 doctors who work in the NHS – 6.6% of the UK medical workforce – qualified in Europe.
ONE GP practice a month closed in the last year, new figures have revealed. The Welsh Government said the number of surgeries has dropped from 459 in 2014, and 453 in 2015, to 441 in 2016.
It means in the past 12 months, 12 GP practices either shut or were handed back to their respective health board.
But the Welsh Government pointed that access to those which remain open is improving.
The data shows that more GP practices in Wales are now open between 8am and 6.30pm on weekdays and more appointments are being made available to patients early in the morning and later in the day.
Dr Charlotte Jones, chair BMA Cymru Wales’ GP Committee, said: “We recognise the enormous stresses placed on GPs across Wales. The most recent survey undertaken by BMA Cymru Wales’ GP Committee revealed that 82.1% of Welsh doctors surveyed voiced serious concerns about the sustainability of their practice.
“This is extremely worrying and we, together with LMCs, continue to assist Welsh Government and Health Boards to find ways of supporting struggling practices.
“If surgeries are facing closure or handing back their contract to the Health Board, we would encourage them to seek support early on. We would advise struggling practices to consider GPC Wales’ advice documents, followed by urgently contacting their LMC for support. GPC Wales would also advise that practices consider completing the sustainability framework to help inform discussions with health boards.
“Ultimately, fundamental change is needed to tackle these issues, to ensure the future sustainability of the Welsh NHS.”
Last year 85% of GP practices were open for daily core hours or within an hour of them, an increase from 60% in 2011.
Only 3% of GP practices were closed for half a day on one or more week days, a decrease compared to 4% in 2015,
And 84% of practices offered appointments at any time between 5pm and 6.30pm every week day, compared to 79% in 2015.
Health Secretary Vaughan Gething said: “We know that access to primary care services is extremely important to people.
“In Taking Wales Forward, our programme for government, we committed to continuing to improve access to GP surgeries, and these figures demonstrate we are delivering this.
“These figures also show that more appointments are available for people at more convenient times. I am pleased to see that the trend of improvement has been continued for 2016.
“I want to say thank you to our GPs and their teams who are working hard to extend their opening hours in Wales.
“They are also working with other health professionals to ensure that people receive their care from the right person.
“This might mean seeing a pharmacist, physiotherapist or a nurse. This will allow GPs to focus their time and expertise on people with complex care needs. We will continue to work collaboratively with GPs and other professions to improve access and patient experience.”
Dr Jones said: “There is always room for improvement, and making sure that practices can offer flexibility to patients is key.
“However, we must not forget that there is a lot more work needed to be done to ensure patients are aware of the full range of professionals that can meet their needs.
“The default should not automatically be the GP. By addressing this, we can make sure that there is capacity in the system whereby patients who need the expertise of the practice team can access timely appointment services.”