‘It’s no surprise that easy access to our services is a priority for patients’, says College Chair

College Chair Kamila Hawthorne features in today’s Telegraph responding to polling from the Health Foundation and Ipsos on public concerns about the NHS.

Professor Kamila Hawthorne, Chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: “We know how much patients value GP care and services, so it comes as no surprise that ensuring easy access to appointments is the main priority among members of the public. GPs want this too and it’s as frustrating for us as it is for our patients when they struggle to access our care; but this is the result of years of under-funding and poor workforce planning.

“We also know that patients want to receive care closer to home, so it makes sense that more than 80% of people support moving more care into the community. This is also something the College supports – as well as being what patients want, it is also a more cost-effective way of delivering care – as long as it comes with appropriate resource.

“As it stands, GP teams are already delivering more consultations than ever before – 367 million last year, more than a million per day – and more complex care, but with only a handful more qualified GPs than in 2019. This isn’t sustainable.

“Furthermore, it’s encouraging to see that a focus on prevention is a priority for so many people – this is also clinical priority for the College. So, it’s also important for GPs to have more time with our patients to facilitate the conversations necessary to support them to make lifestyle changes that can improve their overall health.

“General practice is the bedrock of the NHS, we make up the vast majority of patient contacts and in doing so alleviate pressures across the entire health service. But we can’t carry on doing more with less - without substantial investment in our service, and initiatives to recruit and retain more GPs, some patients will continue to struggle to access our care. We’ve seen some positive first steps from the new Government – and the forthcoming 10-year Health Plan and review of the NHS Long-Term Workforce Plan will be opportunities for them to help resolve the situation, and ensure patients can get the care they need.”

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.