A major change is being made to GP appointments that will impact millions across the country.
The NHS is set to make the sweeping change from May 15, it has been confirmed. From next month, GPs that cannot offer an appointment right away will be obliged to provide people with an assessment there and then.
Alternatively, GPs can signpost them to an "appropriate medical service".
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The decision comes a month after GP practices were ordered to offer all patients an immediate “assessment of need”, and are no longer allowed to request that they call back another time. NHS England imposed the stipulation in a new contract of employment for family doctors following talks with the British Medical Association which broke down.
The decision has been slammed, however. 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. 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," reports BirminghamLive.
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."
Prof Aruna Garcea, primary care chair at the NHS Confederation, said: “Primary care is carrying out 11 per cent more appointments than before the pandemic, which is particularly impressive given their patients tend to present with multiple and more complex needs.”
It comes as total full-time-equivalent GP numbers continue to drop despite growing demand from the ageing population. Practices have also been told they will need to offer automatic access to future patient records through the NHS app.
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