Better resourced general practice can alleviate pressure across health service

Professor Victoria Tzortziou Brown, Chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, said: "We would only ever encourage patients to attend A&E in genuine emergencies, so that hospital teams can focus their expertise where it is most needed. GPs and our teams are working extremely hard under intense pressure, but demand for care often exceeds capacity.

“It is worth saying, that GPs are here for far more than minor ailments and the care we provide is increasingly complex, including supporting growing numbers of patients living with multiple long-term conditions. But GP numbers have not risen in step with escalating workload; nevertheless, of the 32.1m appointments delivered in general practice last month, 43% were delivered on the day they were booked and almost 70% within a week.

“We don't want patients to feel they have no option but to attend A&E when their condition is not an emergency. As well as 111 and general practice services, many minor illnesses – such as coughs, sore throats and colds can often be safely managed through self-care or advice from community pharmacists, and it's important that patients are supported to use these services where appropriate. We need better, clearer systems to help patients navigate the NHS and get to the right place first time, and better resourced general practice so that we can alleviate pressure across the health service.” 

Further information

RCGP press office: 0203 188 7659

press@rcgp.org.uk

Notes to editors

The Royal College of General Practitioners is a network of more than 54,000 family doctors working to improve care for patients. We work to encourage and maintain the highest standards of general medical practice and act as the voice of GPs on education, training, research and clinical standards.