Warning that doctors in Rutland could strike if Government keeps intervening on GPs
It's over concerns that proposed changes to the GP contract
GPs in Rutland are expressing concerns over government-imposed changes to the GP contract for next year.
Dr Kieran Sharrock, Acting Chair of the British Medical Association’s GP Committee England, recently warned that these changes could lead to more GPs leaving the profession and longer waiting times for patients, potentially putting their health at risk.
General practice provides 90% of NHS healthcare and is the only part of the NHS service that is currently providing more appointments compared to pre-pandemic levels.
It comes as patients in our region are struggling to access the care they need. Every working day, more than 17,500 people attend appointments at their local GP surgery across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.
But a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “The new contract will support GP teams to provide what matters most to patients – getting the care they need quickly."
“It will allow practices to employ more nurses and mental health practitioners, step-up preventive action against heart attacks and strokes over the next year and mean patients receive support at the first point of contact."
“There are 400 more doctors in general practice compared to a year ago - and more than 2,000 more than before the pandemic - we are delivering almost 120,000 extra appointments every working day and will shortly be setting out our primary care recovery plan and long term workforce plan to support the sector even further.”
However, Dr Grant Ingrams, GP, Executive Chair of the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Local Medical Committee (LLRLMC), expressed concern about the situation, stating that "General Practice in Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland is in crisis.
"Our patients already cannot get the healthcare from their GP that they need, and their health is suffering. This is causing stress and dissatisfaction for patients and GPs alike. This is leading to burnout of GPs who continue to choose to leave."
"The LLRLMC needs an additional 175 full-time equivalent GPs to provide a safe service. To put this into prospective this means that in effect 315,000 patients locally do not have a GP."
A recent poll of 123 local GPs and practice managers found that 95.9% were dissatisfied with the imposed contract, with 76.4% willing to take some form of industrial action. 61.4% are willing to provide an emergency-only service for one or more days, and 43.1% are willing to stop all services. Dr Ingrams concluded that "Unless the government changes their approach and treats general practice with respect, universal NHS general practice could disappear within a decade."