Around 27 million patients in England will have to wait for a week or more to see their GP in 2014, as a result of a dramatic diversion of doctor posts from general practice to hospitals, according to the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP).
Research shows that three extra hospital consultant posts are now being created for every one more GP across the country. At the same time, analysis of the latest GP Patient Survey, by the College, indicates that the number of people in England waiting for a week or more to see or speak to their GP (excluding nurse appointments) reached 26.2 m in 2013. The College says this is projected to rise to 27 m next year and believes that the only way to change this trend is to increase the share of the NHS budget going to general practice from 8.39% now to 11% by 2017, starting with an increase of one percentage point of the NHS budget next year.
According to the latest national GP Patient Survey, the proportion of patients in England who are having to wait a week or more for an appointment has risen to 15%, compared to 14% a year ago and 13% 18 months ago. The number of people waiting for a week or more to see or speak a GP or nurse at their practice reached 46.8 m in the last year. This is projected to rise to 48.4 m next year.
The declining numbers of GPs coincide with a dramatic slump in the proportion of the UK NHS budget spent on general practice, which the RCGP recently revealed had dropped to the lowest percentage share on record at 8.39% – despite 90% of NHS patient contacts being carried out in general practice.
In response to its findings, the RCGP and the National Association for Patient Participation (NAPP) have launched a campaign called Put patients first: Back general practice.
RCGP chair Dr Maureen Baker said: “It is vital to ensure that patients are able to access their local GP quickly and effectively – just as it is important for hospitals to have adequate numbers of qualified consultants to look after patients who are in need of acute healthcare. We need to ensure that we have enough GPs to provide patients with good access to highquality healthcare in local communities across the UK.
“Most people want to be looked after in their local community and they want to be able to see their GP quickly. The dramatic diversion of doctor posts away from general practice into hospitals works against this fundamentally important principle.”
She added: “Ministers say repeatedly that we need to alleviate pressure on hospitals by delivering more care in the community, yet the numbers of posts being created for consultants and GPs is completely at odds with this. If waiting times get longer, it will be more difficult for GPs to ensure that problems are caught early, and the pressure on A&E will intensify.”
