YOU are finding it increasingly difficult to get an appointment with your chosen doctor as quickly as either you or we would like…. we want to explain why.
• The number of patients is increasing and the population is ageing
• Patients have more complex health problems and are therefore visiting their GP more often
• There were 367 million GP consultations last year, up from 340 million 5 years ago compared with 17.4 million to A&E.
• Your GP is being asked to do more and more work for hospitals because they are under pressure too.
• Successive governments have given us more paperwork so less time to spend with patients
• The government made online appointments a “must do” in the GP contract
• We have to have time out to prepare for Care Quality Commission inspections as well as spending time on educational meetings so that we can ‘revalidate’ and remain in practice.
• General Practices do 90% of the consultations in the NHS on less than 8% of the budget, 10 years ago it was 10% of the budget.
• All this means that many young doctors don’t want to be GPs anymore and established GPs want to leave the profession early.
• In the last 5 years it has been increasingly difficult to replace doctors leaving their Practices
This may mean..
• You may have to wait longer to see your GP
• Other healthcare professionals within the team may see you when appropriate
• You will get all the services you need but not necessarily those you may want.
Please help us to help you
• Be patient and kind to staff
• Don’t believe the bad press, please share these facts with others and speak to your MP
• All we want is more time and less interference so that we can get on with what we have been trained to do – to help you and your families get well, keep well and stay well