Government must prioritise general practice and put a down payment on its commitments, says College in response to Budget

Responding to the Government's Budget for 2024, Professor Kamila Hawthorne, Chair of the Royal College of GPs, said:

“This cash injection into the NHS is badly overdue and much needed.  Far too many patients are waiting far too long for the care they need. However, general practice is also seriously under resourced, and we are now looking to the upcoming Spending Review for much more detail on how GPs and our teams will be supported to deliver the Government’s plans to shift resources into the community to ensure patients get the care they need”

“Cutting hospital waiting lists will benefit everyone, and we need to see everything being done to make this possible, but general practice as the front door of the NHS is also chronically underfunded and understaffed while demand for our care continues to rise.”

“Today alone over one million patients will receive care from their local surgery. Our workloads are rocketing and becoming more complex at the same time as we have a severe shortage of GPs, with more GPs leaving the profession than are joining it due to workload pressures. As a result, every GP on average is now responsible for looking after 2,300 patients.

“We are pleased to see the promise of more funding for the NHS estate, including a dedicated fund to improve GP practices, which are crumbling around us. This is a small step in the right direction, but major challenges will remain with more than a third (34%) of our members reporting their practice building is inadequate for providing care for patients.  

“But equally crucial, is the need for more GPs to work in these practices, caring for patients on the frontline. As well as training and recruiting new GPs, we need to make sure we retain the experienced GPs we already have with ringfenced funding for a national GP retention strategy.

“To ensure the NHS is fit for the future, the Government must prioritise general practice and put a down payment on its commitments. General practice delivers cost effective care, close to home where patients want to be treated – and in doing so, it alleviates pressures across the health service. The Government wants to move more services out into the community and focus on the prevention of illness, and GPs and their teams are trained in this and ready to contribute. But to do this, resources – including staff - must follow.

“We are keen to work with the Government as it develops the new 10 Year Health Plan, looking at how to effectively bring more care into the community and deliver the care our patients deserve while supporting the GP teams who are working hard to provide it.”  

Further information

RCGP press office: 0203 188 7659
press@rcgp.org.uk

Notes to editors

The Royal College of General Practitioners is a network of more than 54,000 family doctors working to improve care for patients. We work to encourage and maintain the highest standards of general medical practice and act as the voice of GPs on education, training, research and clinical standards.