College calls for 'rescue package' for general practice

The pressures on general practice were already overwhelming before the pandemic, but the last 18 months have further exacerbated the situation.

According to latest figures from NHS Digital and the Office for National Statistics, there are now approximately 2,045 patients per one Full Time Equivalent GP – an increase of nearly 10% when compared to 2015. As well as the impact on patient care, the College is concerned about the toll this is taking on GPs and practice teams on the frontline.

In July, we published General Practice in crisis: An action plan for recovery, outlining the key workforce, workload and wider challenges in general practice – alongside a five-point plan of realistic solutions to halt the decline that has resulted from more than a decade of under- investment in the family doctor service.

While this was launched to coincide with the appointments of new English Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid and new Chief Executive of NHS England Amanda Pritchard, the Devolved Nations are campaigning along the same lines with their respective governments.

College Chair Professor Martin Marshall said: “The problems we have identified in our action plan show that pressures in the NHS are not just confined to hospitals. General practice has been running on empty for too long and the situation can’t continue for much longer without serious consequences.

“We need an expanded workforce with the appropriate support and premises if we are to improve access, reduce health inequalities, ensure patient safety, and give GPs more time to care for and build trusting relationships with their patients.

“We are offering ready-made solutions to the problems that have beset general practice for more than a decade, we now need urgent action and for those solutions to be implemented. If we invest in general practice, the entire NHS reaps the benefit.”

In September, Martin Marshall also took part in evidence sessions with Ministers and MPs at the Public Bill Committee for the Health and Care Bill, emphasising the pressures in general practice. This was the first of three Parliamentary Select Committees in just two weeks, where the College represented the views of GPs. These are high profile and influential sessions and the College takes every opportunity to participate and make the case for general practice.

The Health and Care Bill is expected to introduce legislative changes that aim to further integrate health services in England, with Clinical Commissioning Groups being formally subsumed into Integrated Care Systems (ICS). Martin Marshall made the case for a strong general practice voice in ICS – but pointed out that the legislation had come at a time of immense pressure in general practice and that most GPs weren’t aware of the proposed changes. He issued a stark warning to MPs about the impact that current pressures are having on GPs and their teams, stating that around 60% of GPs have seen their mental health deteriorate significantly in the last year.

The impact of workload and workforce challenges in general practice were again reiterated in Martin's oral evidence session with the Health Select Committee on clearing the backlog caused by the pandemic. Committee Chair, Jeremy Hunt MP posed a question about face-to-face appointments with GPs and Martin explained how GPs had adapted swiftly to new ways of working so that they could continue to deliver care while many other parts of the NHS had shut down. He emphasised that workload and workforce pressures were making the job of GP increasingly ‘undoable’ and that remote care doesn’t mean less work for GPs. The RCGP was also represented by Cancer Lead Dr Richard Roope, who gave evidence, highlighting what an excellent job GPs are doing in difficult circumstances to the Committee’s inquiry into cancer services.

The College will continue to engage with Ministers, parliamentarians, and policy makers to fight the corner of hardworking GPs so that they have the support to provide safe care for patients, without jeopardising their own health.

Join the hundreds of members who have already helped us spread the word, by sharing our action plan for England with your MP. All you have to do is enter your post code and the rest is explained here.

THE ACTION PLAN CALLS FOR:

1. Urgent delivery of the 2019 Conservative party manifesto pledge of 6,000 more FTE GPs before 2024

2. More time for GPs to care for patients and reduced bureaucracy to prevent GP burnout

3. Recruitment and integration of at least 26,000 other members of staff into the general practice workforce by 2024

4. Infrastructure that is fit for purpose by 2024, to allow GPs to deliver care in a safe way using reliable technology

5. GPs to have a strong voice in integrated care systems and in designing care for the communities they serve