GPs going above and beyond to ensure patients get the care they need

Responding to new NHS figures that show millions more GP appointments are being delivered, year on year, Professor Kamila Hawthorne, Chair of RCGP said:

“These figures show just how hard GPs and our teams are working to make sure patients are getting the safe and timely care they need.

“But we can’t keep doing more with less. Whilst we’ve delivered a record number of appointments over the last year, general practice is stretched to breaking point following decades of poor workforce planning and underfunding. Our patient lists have grown significantly over the last few years, and with an ageing population living with more chronic illness we’re both delivering millions more appointments and more complex care - but GP numbers have barely increased.

“These figures show just how much pressure the current workforce is under and are exactly why the recruitment and retention of GPs – and tackling the paradoxical situation whereby GPs are struggling to find appropriate work upon qualification - must be an urgent priority for the government.

“The 10 Year Health Plan sets out ambitions to recruit ‘thousands more’ GPs, and this new data shows just how essential this in order to deliver the care our patients need. We now look to the forthcoming review of the Long-Term Workforce Plan for more detail about where these will come from and how they’ll be funded so that GP practices have the support they need to deliver more care and services to patients in their local communities.”

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.