Invest in ‘proper plan’ for GPs, campaigners say

A survey has found the majority of Britons want to see the same GP every time they visit their local surgery.

Results of a YouGov poll commissioned by the Rebuild General Practice campaign have been published (Anthony Devlin/PA) (PA Archive)

Campaigners are calling on the Government to invest in a proper plan for GP practices to protect the NHS.

Family doctors who are part of the Rebuild General Practice campaign said there must be an “end to decades of neglecting the profession” and more must be done to retain staff and keep patients safe.

It comes as a YouGov poll commissioned by the group found the majority of people in Britain want a “family doctor style general practice back at the heart of their communities”.

Out of 4,097 adults, 57% said they think it is important they see the same GP every time they visit their local surgery.

Services are overrun and there are not enough GPs to meet patient demand. We’re seeing on average 37 patients within a full-time day, despite guidance on safe working recommending we see no more than 25

Rachel Ward, GP

The majority (73%) said this was due to the fact they do not have to explain their medical history each time, while more than half (56%) thought seeing the same practitioner would mean a more accurate diagnosis.

Some 55% would also rather visit their GP with minor illnesses rather than visiting A&E or walk-in centres.

Rachel Ward is a GP in Oxfordshire. Speaking on behalf of the Rebuild General Practice campaign, she said: “Patients want a ‘family doctor’ style general practice back at the heart of their communities.

“This is what GPs want too. But decades of NHS neglect and underfunding has made the family doctor a service of the past.

“Services are overrun and there are not enough GPs to meet patient demand. We’re seeing on average 37 patients within a full-time day, despite guidance on safe working recommending we see no more than 25.

“General practice at its best provides not just medical care, but a wrap-around support for families that helps to keep them well, for longer.”

We hope they will serve as a stark warning to the Government and others that general practice needs wide-ranging support and funding if patients are to continue receiving the care they need and deserve

Prof Kamila Hawthorne

Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, said patients and GPs “deserve better”.

“The findings of this survey come as no surprise and reflect what the college has been saying for many years now,” she added.

“We hope they will serve as a stark warning to the Government and others that general practice needs wide-ranging support and funding if patients are to continue receiving the care they need and deserve.

“General practice is the cornerstone of the NHS, but it is being allowed to wither on the vine. Some of us are lucky enough to remember when general practice was appropriately resourced and GPs were able to guarantee continuity of care to all their patients.

“Unfortunately, the past decade has seen unprecedented levels of pressure exerted on general practice, without the support to shore it up – culminating in a workforce and workload crisis. We are currently delivering tens of millions of appointments per month, 9% more than before the pandemic, but now with 952 fewer fully qualified, full-time GPs than in 2019.”

Prof Hawthorne said this “workforce deficit” is making it “overwhelmingly difficult for GPs to provide the personalised and patient-centred care that has always been the hallmark of general practice”.

“The simple fact is that we need many more fully-qualified, full-time GPs,” she said.

“General practice is understaffed and overburdened and we need policymakers to take immediate steps to turn this dire situation around – including a fully-funded national retention scheme supporting GPs to stay in the workforce, returning the proportion of the NHS budget allocated to general practice to its former rate of at least 11%, and reducing the high rates of bureaucracy, as well as encouraging the next generation of GPs into the workforce.”

Of those who responded to the YouGov poll, 52% said they would prefer Government funding to go to general practice compared with A&E (5%) and pharmacies (17%).

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “People can ask to see a particular doctor and practices must try to comply with all reasonable requests. Patients also have the right to choose the GP practice they want.

“With more than 160,000 additional appointments per working day, 2,000 additional doctors and 31,000 extra staff, we are delivering for patients.

“Our Primary Care Recovery Plan also includes £240 million funding to make it easier to book appointments and we expect all practices to have a digital phone system in place by April 2024, to help beat the 8am rush.”

It was revealed last month that more than 1,000 practices have signed up for the upgrade, which will come into force from March.

It is hoped the switch will allow patients to contact their GP faster and have their request dealt with on the day rather than having to call back.

Patients should also be able to avoid getting an engaged tone, with online systems able to provide them with more options.