Your guide to influencing Parliament

The July 2024 General Election brought in a new Labour Government and 335 new MPs to Westminster from across the UK. A new Government is always an opportunity for change, to make sure all MPs hear the voice of GPs and their patients and take action to safeguard the future of general practice.

London's Big Ben at the end of a bridge in twilight

How to arrange a practice visit

 This summer, MPs will be out in their constituencies focusing on local issues. It’s a great time to invite your local MP to visit your practice and show them what things are really like on the ground. This will help your MP to better represent you in Parliament, and drive the RCGP’s message for change straight to the heart of Government.

I want to invite my MP to a practice visit

While writing to your MP is helpful, nothing is impactful as actually talking to them face to face to explain what the life of a GP is really like. Below is a guide to help you:

1. Get in touch

As your membership body we are here to help you. The guide below offers some tips, but we are keen to know if you hear back from your MP and support you for any visit.

2. Inform your colleagues

Different practices will have different rules and systems for gaining permission to invite politicians to their practice. In many practices it will be important to get the permission of all the partners before you arrange a visit.

3. Invite the candidates

If you'd like to invite them to visit your practice, you can use a template letter designed by the RCGP which you can edit with your own information and send to your MP here:

4. Arrange the visit

It may take some time for them to respond. Once you have received a response from them, they will most likely put you in touch with their staff to arrange the visit. Remember to ask how long their visit is likely to be so that you can plan accordingly.  

You may be asked to give a short summary of the issue that you would like to raise so that they can be prepared.

5. Plan the visit

Once you have confirmed the date and time, confirm with them how long they can stay with you and what you would like to do:

  1. Meet GPs and staff?
    Make sure practice staff are aware of the visit. You may want to work with the practice staff to decide responsibilities on the day of the visit.
     
  2. Invite the local media for a photocall?
    If you and the MP are both happy, then you can invite local media and any other guests with plenty of notice. If local press photographers or videographers are going to attend, or if you want to share photos on social media, you need to make sure permissions are sought.
     
  3. Agree on social media posts
    Politicians generally want to use social media to publicise their visit. You can also thank them for coming on your own social media alongside a picture.

6. Know what you want to say and show

This is the most important part of the visit. They will want to know what the issues facing general practice means to you specifically – how it’s impacted you professionally and personally, and most importantly what it means for your patients.

This doesn’t mean you should only talk about the negatives: this is also a chance to talk about how you help your patients and about any innovative work that your practice does.

And don’t worry about the national picture. You can access national statistics and key messages on our website. However, the main aim of the visit will be to share your local experience.

7. Prepare an agenda

The visit does not have to be seamless, but it might be helpful to prepare an outline a structure for the visit. You may be asked to share this outline with the MP’s office, so they know what to expect on the day.

Think about what activities will showcase the practice and when you’ll get a chance to talk one-to-one to your MP in a quieter space. Be mindful of the time each segment.

8. Send a "thank you"

Send a letter or email to thank them for the meeting. If you committed to provide them with any additional information, or a local press release, you could include this in your message.

9. Consider sending out a press release

After the visit you may want to reach out to some local papers and news outlets in your area who might be interested in covering your candidates visit. The easiest way to do this is to search your local newspaper, radio station or TV outlet online and drop them an email with a press release attached.

Alternatively, you might agree with your MP that they will publicise the visit.

10. Tell us about your visit

Please do let us know how the visit went. We're ready to answer any questions you may have, or support with follow-up actions after the meeting.

Share your story

We are always looking to incorporate our members voices in our campaigns. Sharing your story can sometimes be the most powerful way of illustrating the experiences of people working on the ground in general practice. Examples of stories that would be particularly powerful:

  • International GPs who have struggled to find a practice to sponsor their visa.
  • GPs who are struggling to find work.
  • If you are being held back by pointless NHS admin.
  • If you are considering quitting general practice and can’t access a GP retention scheme.
  • If poor IT or GP infrastructure is preventing you delivering the level of patient care needed.

If you’d like to share your story with us, your quotes will be used to illustrate the experiences of people working within general practice, to help underpin the policy recommendations the RCGP are calling for.

Share your story

Amplifying your voice through social media

Social media platforms are a powerful tool for amplifying your message. Sharing your story on social media can help raise awareness of the need for change and help get your message to changemakers. 

We’ve put together these digital assets to help you harness your voice online, mobilise support for the RCGP’s calls and make a lasting impact.

Feel free to use this copy to promote the campaign action on your social media.

GPs, please join me in inviting your MP to visit your practice so that they see what general practice is really like on the ground. ➡️ https://rcgp.eaction.org.uk/MPPracticeVisitInvitation

Key facts and figures

When speaking with politicians, key messages and statistics can really help to illustrate the problems you come up against on the ground, and what this means for the whole general practice system. Please find some key facts and figures which may help you to communicate the issues you face:

  • General practice is delivering 14% more appointments than 2019.
  • At the same time, the number of fully qualified GPs has fallen by 2%.
  • GPs on average look after 2,294 patients as of April 2024. This is an increase of 7.2% since 2019.
  • This has led to dangerously high levels of workload with 76% of GPs saying that their workload has impacted on patient safety.
  • NHS Confederation show that investment in general practice is highly effective. For every additional £1 spent on primary care would increase economic output by £14.

  • Our workforce has been left woefully understaffed and unprepared to deal with the mounting rise in patient need. The current NHS Workforce Plan does not currently reflect the need to increase the GP workforce, only aiming to increase the number of fully qualified GPs by 4% by 2036, compared to a 49% growth in hospital consultants.
  • NHS Confederation show that investment in general practice is highly effective. For every additional £1 spent on primary care would increase economic output by £14.
  • It’s time the Government commits to tackling this issue head on. That’s why we’re calling on them to review the NHS’s workforce plan and urgently provide the necessary resources to ensure that there are enough GP roles in the NHS to safely deliver patient care, and enough GPs to fill them.


RCGP's manifesto

Ahead of the election, RCGP published its manifesto, setting out seven steps that the incoming government should take to save general practice and safeguard the NHS.

Read our full manifesto
A female GP wearing a hijab and stethoscope smiles at a patient in the distance. The image has a purple filter.