College welcomes bold proposals to reform outpatient care

Responding to the Royal College of Physicians’ latest report setting out its vision for reformed outpatient care, Professor Kamila Hawthorne, Chair of the Royal College of GPs said:

“As GPs, we see at first-hand the huge impact that a disjointed outpatient system can have on our patients, as well the issues and delays that this causes across the rest of the NHS.

“In order for the patient journey to work properly, GPs need to know that there will be the right services and support available for our patients when we refer them, and it is frustrating and worrying for everyone involved when this process doesn't work effectively. Patients often end up on long waiting lists, or are ‘bounced back’ into general practice, often getting more unwell while they wait. This is why we support the RCP’s recommendations for improvement.

“It is also encouraging to see further support for the ‘hospital to community’ shift that the Government has committed to, we know this is both cost effective and what patients want. If properly resourced,  primary care can take pressure off the entire health service.

“However, funding must follow the patient if GPs and our teams are to achieve this, and we need to see real investment in general practice so we can deliver safe, timely and appropriate care to our patients close to home.” 

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.