GPs 'suffering' says Rutland health boss as thousands of doctors plan to quit
The Royal College of GPs estimates 19,000 GPs plan on leaving within 5 years
A Rutland health boss says he and his colleagues are 'not surprised' to hear that almost 19,000 GPs are planning to leave their profession over the next five years, according to the Royal College of GPs.
Dr Grant Ingrams, from the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Local Medical Committee (LLRLMC) told us practices "across the county are suffering regularly".
"What we're talking about is a third of the workforce, but this is also GPs that have just started their journey, who have just started their training."
"They are saying that they also are looking at other jobs. They are looking to be anything other than a GP in this country.
"It's not surprising, because that's what I hear from colleagues all the time and also from the junior doctors that I talk to. Unfortunately we know this has been coming, the number of GPs has been going down since 2015 year after year.
Abusive behaviour an ongoing issue
Dr Grant Ingrams outlined a number of areas requiring urgent support, but confirmed abusive behaviour at GP practices is also still a current problem.
"I got to my practice one day last week to find there was police here who had been called to remove a patient who was being extortionately abusive and threatening to staff, but also frightening to patients around them, all because they couldn't get their medication at that second", he said.
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"We've got the problem with ongoing abuse, as you know from Oakham (Medical Practice), they're still not quite fully open yet but they're working towards it. Practices across the county are suffering regularly."
An alarming estimate
The figures come from the Royal College of GPs, who warned patients there could be a 'mass exodus' of GPs, estimating that almost 19,000 GPs are planning to leave the profession over the next five years.
Of the 1,262 GP and trainee respondents, 42% say they are likely to quit their job in 5 years.
With a workforce headcount of more than 45,000 GPs and trainees currently, this could mean that patients are set to lose almost 19,000 GPs and trainees, equivalent to more than 15,000 full-time equivalent GPs.
The RCGP said that while there are record levels of GP trainees, the new intake will not be enough to cover the loss of current staff.
The overriding factors
RCGP Chairman Professor Martin Marshall warned the Government what they need to do to prevent local healthcare providers losing a third of doctors.
"General practice is significantly understaffed, underfunded, and overworked, and this is impacting on the care and services we're able to deliver to patients.
"The intensity and complexity of our workload is escalating whilst numbers of fully qualified, full-time GPs are falling."
At an NHS ConfedExpo conference in Liverpool, Health Secretary Sajid Javid acknowledged that the current model of GP care is "not working" and suggested that he would set up a primary care reform plan.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson also said:
“We are hugely grateful to GPs and their staff for the care they provide to patients and we are working hard to support and grow the workforce.
“There are record numbers of GPs in training, and there were over 1,400 more full time equivalent doctors working in general practice in March 2022, compared to the same time in 2019.
“We have invested £520 million to improve access and expand GP capacity, on top of £1.5 billion until 2024, and we are helping to create an extra 50 million appointments a year to tackle the Covid backlogs."