The “Uberisation” of GP services

As reported by The Telegraph, the former health secretary has warned the NHS is moving towards an “Uberisation” of primary care with patients seeing a different doctor on every visit

Jeremy Hunt has described the sector as facing “crisis” and criticised the lack of continuity of care.

“You’re more likely to see those red flags when you should, than what I’m afraid we’re moving towards which is the ‘Uberisation’ of general practice where you see a different GP every time you contact the NHS, just like you see a different Uber driver,” said Mr Hunt.

Mr Hunt’s comments were made at the launch of a new campaign, Rebuild General Practice, supported by the British Medical Association (BMA) and the General Practice Defence Fund.

The group is calling on the government to help improve primary care retention by combatting factors “driving GPs out of the profession” and providing a plan to reduce workload.

The group of 1,395 GPs found that nearly nine in 10 worry patients are not always safe at their practice.

The deputy chairman of the BMA GP committee, Dr Kieran Sharrock, told reporters that surgeries are only “one or two” resignations away from closure.

Dr Sharrock stated that in the last eight years, over 800 GP practices have closed and 2.5m patients have lost access to their personal doctors.

“If the pressure on individual GPs continues at the level it is at the moment and they continue to feel that their work is unsafe, it can take one or two of them to just leave and suddenly you can’t run the practice,” he added.

A GP in York who supports the campaign, Dr Brian McGregor, believes there is a “societal problem” with patients being encouraged to speak their doctor too often and creating unnecessary work for GPs.

“Gyms say ‘before doing an exercise programme [speak to your doctor]’, if you’re joining the gym. Exercise is good for almost everybody. There’s very, very few people who shouldn’t be doing that. So why should they need to go and talk to their GP about that?” Dr McGregor said.