You are no doubt aware that the whole of the NHS, including General Practice, is under immense pressure. The average number of patients each GP is responsible for has increased by nearly 17% since 2015. There are now just 0.44 fully qualified GPs per 1,000 patients in England – down from 0.52 in 2015. An increasing workload placed upon a shrinking workforce is unsustainable.
In addition, the UK Government has recently imposed a new contract upon General Practice, despite calls from industry leaders that current working conditions have the potential to pose a threat to patient safety.
Doctors’ leaders have attempted to meet with the Health Secretary to negotiate a fairer and safer contract, but talks have not materialised. These difficulties are not exclusive to GPs; NHS nurses and junior doctors have taken industrial action this year, and hospital consultants will be balloted regarding strike action in the near future. More information is available on the British Medical Association (BMA) website (bma.org.uk).
Because of the above, the Sussex Local Medical Committee (LMC), alongside the BMA, has issued recommendations to GP practices aimed at managing workload. Broadly speaking, these include limiting the number of patient contacts each GP provides to a widely agreed safe limit (25-35 daily). To provide some context, our GPs frequently provide over double that amount but, in the interests of safety, this cannot continue.
At Willow Green Surgery, we are proud of the service that we provide. Our patients rate their overall experience, the accessibility of GPs and making an appointment as significantly better than the national average. (Please see www.gp-patient.co.uk for more details). Providing high standards of care for our patients under such circumstances is testament to the dedication and resilience of our entire Practice team.
With this mind, in the coming weeks and months, we will need to reassess how our service is delivered. You may notice some changes relating to the appointment booking process, or waiting times, and we ask please for your patience throughout. We will release more specific details when they are available.
In the meantime, our focus is to maintain our high level of patient care, but in a more sustainable way. Therefore it may be that, after triaging your symptoms, our clinical team recommends that you seek advice from another agency, including community pharmacies, a Minor Injuries Unit (MIU), 111, or even A&E. Many conditions are also suitable for self-care, and information on this and illnesses in general is available on the NHS website as well as community pharmacies.
We are all patients of the same NHS, and therefore share your frustrations that hospital waiting times are longer now. If you have questions regarding your hospital tests, treatments or medications, please contact your specialist directly. GPs do not have any additional information that cannot be sourced from the consultant secretaries, who are available via the hospital switchboard 01903 205111. If you still experience difficulty speaking to your hospital specialist team, the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) can help, and please call them on 01903 285032.
From all the Partners at Willow Green Surgery