‘Patients must be able to access care without facing discrimination’ says College Chair

RCGP responds to the NHS Race and Health Observatory’s new report on Trust in Primary Care

Professor Kamila Hawthorne, Chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: “Patients must be able to access care without facing discrimination. This report makes for very difficult reading - it is disheartening to see the number of patients who report negative experiences in primary care. It is critical that all branches of our health service, including general practice, take every necessary measure to prevent this kind of behaviour.

“Addressing health inequalities is a major priority for our College. We are working hard to highlight and expand our learning resources for GPs in this area, including via our health inequalities hub, eLearning work, and existing EDI focused content in the GP training curriculum.

“We have also undertaken an extensive ‘Decolonising the Curriculum’ project for our updated curriculum which will take effect from 1 August 2025, aimed at enhancing inclusivity, accessibility and representation across our learning resources. All GP registrars (trainees) must demonstrate competence in our curriculum in order to practise independently as a GP in the UK.

“We all have a responsibility to recognise that racism and discrimination continue to be a very real issue, and we will continue working hard to make sure all patients can access safe, trustworthy and inclusive care.

“We also need to recognise that GPs and their teams are under unprecedented pressure due to lack of funding and poor workforce planning for general practice by successive governments. We now have a shortage of GPs at the same time as demand for our care and services is rising, meaning that GPs are trying to do more and more with very limited resources.

“GPs need more time to spend with their patients so that they get the care they deserve. The current Government’s pledges for general practice sound encouraging. We now need to make these promises a reality, otherwise it is our patients who will bear the brunt.”

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.