RCGP response to Health Foundation polling results

Professor Victoria Tzortiou Brown, Chair of the Royal College of GPs, said:

"General practice is the front door of the health service and all patients should be able to see their GP when they need to, so it is worrying to hear that some might be delaying or avoiding seeking care because they think getting an appointment will be difficult. Only yesterday, the College issued our own report about making it easier for patients to navigate their way through the 'maze' of the NHS.

“GPs are working harder than ever, with over one million appointments delivered in general practice every day across England, and 46% on the same day as the booking. But we recognise that too many patients are still waiting too long for appointments or are anxious that they won’t be able to get the care they need when they need it.

“GPs and our teams are just as frustrated as our patients when they can’t access our care. Patient numbers are rising as the population ages, and more people are living with multiple long-term conditions. At the same time, the GP-patient ratio is falling after decades of underinvestment in our service. There are currently approximately 2,258 patients per GP, with far fewer fully qualified, full-time equivalent GPs per patient than a decade ago and this is unsustainable – for patients and GPs.

“This polling shows yet again that improving access to general practice remains top of the public’s list of priorities for the NHS, but the only way to address this is with investment and support. As care continues to shift from hospitals into the community, funding must follow the work. This requires clear, fully costed plans to recruit and retain more GPs, expand capacity, and stabilise the workforce so that patients can feel confident they will receive timely, high-quality care.”

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.