RCGP responds to NAO report on support for people living with frailty

The College Chair responds to the NAO’s new report - Primary and community healthcare support for people living with frailty, looking how the NHS identifies and supports people living with or at risk of frailty.

Professor Victoria Tzortziou Brown, Chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, said: “Our older, frail patients are among the most vulnerable we care for as GPs, and we're committed to supporting them to stay well and maintain their independence for as long as possible. As such, it's disappointing to read the findings of this report, which must be taken seriously and the barriers preventing consistent, proactive care for our frail patients identified and addressed.

“The reality is that GPs and our teams are working under intense and increasing pressures. Workload has risen consistently over recent years — both in terms of volume and complexity as we have an ageing population, with patients who often live with more than one serious condition— but workforce has not kept pace.

“A fully qualified, full-time GP in England is now responsible for approximately 2,241 patients on average, an increase of 304 patients, or 15.7%, per GP in ten years. This is having a serious impact on the time we can spend with our patients and on delivering proactive care.

“For too long, political priorities have focused overwhelmingly on rapid access, with important interventions such as structured medication reviews deprioritised. This often, unfortunately, comes at the expense of the long-term, continuous care that older people with complex health needs require. Effective frailty management needs both time and access to well-resourced multi-disciplinary and community services working alongside general practice.

"GPs want to do more for their frail patients, but without sufficient workforce and investment, the most time-intensive aspects of care—continuity, comprehensive assessments, and regular follow-up—are becoming harder to sustain.

“The Government has ambitious aspirations to provide more care in the community, but funding must follow if we are going to be able to deliver more care close to home. The forthcoming NHS 10-year Workforce Plan needs to set out a clear road map for recruiting and retaining the GPs we need to provide the level of care our older, frail patients deserve.”

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.