Access challenges not the fault of GPs, says college

As reported by the RCGP, Chair Professor Kamila Hawthorne has responded to an announcement from the Labour Party on access to GP services

Professor Hawthorne said: “GPs and their teams are working flat out to deliver the care and services our patients need. We delivered a record 36.1m consultations in October, almost 40% of these on the day they were booked, more than 80% within two weeks and more than 71% in person.

“GPs want our patients to receive timely and appropriate care, and we share their frustrations when this isn’t happening. But difficulties accessing our services isn’t the fault of GP teams, it’s a consequence of an under-resourced, underfunded, and understaffed service working under unsustainable pressures. Whilst GP workload has increased by 18% since 2019, numbers of fully qualified, full-time equivalent GPs has fallen by 719.

“Many GPs are running on empty and burning out. This isn’t safe for them or for their patients and it’s leading many to face the difficult decision to leave the profession earlier than they planned – and when more GPs are leaving the profession than entering it, it does not bode well for the future.

“Highlighting problems patients are having accessing general practice services shouldn’t be done by criticising and demoralising hard working GP teams, who are doing their absolute best in extremely difficult circumstances to meet the healthcare needs of their patients.

“Access to GP services is important, but it is only a starting point to ensuring our patients receive the safe, personalised, and appropriate care they need. Ultimately, we need more GPs, more members of the practice team, and serious efforts to reduce spiralling GP workload, so that we can deliver safe, appropriate and timely care for patients.

“We need to see a new recruitment and retention strategy that goes beyond the target of 6,000 GPs pledged by the government in its election manifesto, funding for general practice returned to 11% of the total NHS spend, investment in our IT systems and premises, and steps to cut bureaucracy so that GPs can spend more time with patients.”