Intolerable pressure

A new survey shows that GPs are under ever increasing pressure as patients report waiting more than a week for appointments.

Last year patients waited over a week to see their GP on more than 50m occasions according to an analysis by the Royal College of GPs.

In 2012 it was reported that 40m people had waited more than a week for a GP appointment, indicating a 17 per cent rise each year.

“The increase in waiting times should not come as surprise,” said Barrie Brown, Unite head of health.

“When the coalition government removed the 48 hour target for a GP appointment in 2010, this was in anticipation that reduced funding across the NHS, and particularly in primary care, would impact on GPs and their ability to cope with rising patient demands and reductions in funding,” he added.

Buckling under

Senior doctors have warned GPs are buckling under the demands and experts report delays of up to a month for appointments at some surgeries.

“We know that there are long waits to see a GP and have been telling the government that there is a crisis in the GP workforce – not enough GPs, early retirement and poor recruitment to general practice from young doctors,” said Unite’s Ron Singer, a GP.

There has been a significant increase in GP vacancies as serving GPs take early retirement.

“Newly qualified doctors are also deterred from a career in general practice given how it has been undermined since 2010 by this government and its coalition predecessor,” said Barrie.

The patient survey results coincide with David Cameron’s pledge to ensure patients can secure appointments seven days a week by 2020.

But experts say seven day opening will not increase the amount of GP appointments available. Only recruiting more GPs will solve the shortage.

“Some surgeries have tried opening longer on Saturdays and even on Sundays but patients did not turn up for these sessions,” said Ron.

“More opening at weekends will simply mean less GP appointments during the week,” he added.

Strike

The survey comes the week after the first strike of junior hospital doctors in more than 40 years, over the safety of extended hours.

The Labour Party argues that the Tory government is struggling to offer patients a five-day-week NHS, let alone a seven day one.

“The UK has fewer doctors (and nurses) per head of population than most other EU countries yet more and more patients are [correctly] discharged earlier from hospital without any increase in money for GP practices to cope – in fact this and the last government has cut money going to primary care,” said Ron.

Doctors say that it is the government’s obsession with extended opening hours that is stretching the services.

“Access to GP services is very important, but prioritising extended opening hours over everything else can mean that the routine GP service will suffer and our patients could end up worse off,” said Dr Maureen Baker, chair of the Royal College of GPs.

“Putting pressure on family doctors who are already working themselves to the bone to deliver high-quality patient care is neither safe nor sustainable,” she added.
The Royal College of GPs is calling for general practice to receive 11 per cent NHS budget and for thousands more GPs over the course of this parliament.

“The government callously blames GPs – we say the blame lies fairly and squarely on the government – it has deaf ears where GPs are concerned,” said Ron.