A big change will soon be made to GP appointments as doctors warn patients will 'suffer most'. The NHS is set to implement a change from May 15 that will mean if GPs cannot offer an appointment right away they will be obliged to provide people with an assessment there and then.
Alternatively, they can signpost them to an "appropriate medical service", as reported by Birmingham Live. This has been criticised by the general practitioners committee, which says the change will increase workloads without the support needed and lead to GPs quitting.
Dr Kieran Sharrock, acting chairman of the general practitioners committee in England, said: “Without investment to do more, practices have to free up resources from elsewhere. This hasn’t been properly considered. Ramping up GP workload, and without the support needed, will lead to more GPs leaving the profession.
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“Ultimately, it’s our patients who suffer most, and this means more of them will be left waiting longer for the care they desperately need.”
In January 2023 General Practice delivered 30m appointments, an increase of 11 per cent on January 2020, which has been hailed as a "testament to the incredible work of GP teams" by NHS England. NHS director of primary care Dr Ursula Montgomery said: “GP teams have worked hard to deliver record numbers of appointments with half a million more delivered each week last year compared to pre-pandemic, and this new contract aims to build on this further with more access for patients.
"As well as providing same day care to more than two fifths of patients, GP teams will also step-up preventive action against heart attacks and strokes over the next year, with health professionals encouraged to prescribe statins alongside other preventative measures such as exercise to a much wider number of patients with heart disease, arterial disease and those who suffered a stroke or who have high levels of cholesterol. This contract supports GP teams to provide what matters to patients."
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