Doctors cry out for investment after survey finds GP access is top priority for patients
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GPs say they “can’t carry on doing more with less” as a survey finds being able to see a doctor is the top concern Britons have about the NHS.
Polling done for the Health Foundation by Ipsos on NHS priorities found 38 per cent of people wanted it to be easier to get a GP appointment, above improving A&E wait times (33 per cent), improving NHS staff retention by making working conditions better (29 per cent) and improving public wait times (27 per cent).
Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the Royal College of GPs said it was “no surprise” that better access to GP appointments was the main priority for 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,” she said.
“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.
“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.”
Earlier this year prime minister Sir Keir Starmer announced his 10-year plan to reform the NHS with a focus on tackling lengthy waiting lists and ensuring more people could receive healthcare closer to home.
It includes more community-based care and the greater use of digital technology to manage tasks like booking appointments.
Nearly two-thirds of people (65 per cent) think the NHS should receive more funding according to the Health Foundation and Ipsos poll, which was carried out late last year.
While the survey found the public were broadly supportive of the government’s NHS priority shifts, few people (27 per cent) were actually aware of the government’s 10 Year Health Plan.
Hugh Alderwick, director of policy at the Health Foundation, said the survey showed there was “broad public support” for the government’s NHS reform plan, but it would be challenging for the government to balance multiple health priorities.
“The public’s top priority is improving access to general practice, but the government’s headline political pledge on the NHS is to reduce waiting times for routine hospital treatment over the parliament,” he said.
“Making this happen will require substantial resources and may mean slower progress on improving care elsewhere, such as in primary and community care – particularly if extra investment is limited.
“The 10-year plan is an opportunity to provide hope things will get better and clarity on what government’s ideas for reform mean in practice. But the real test will be whether people see tangible improvements to the care they get from the NHS as a result – and how fast it happens.”
A Department for Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Our Plan for Change is transforming the NHS, and we have already met our pledge to deliver over two million extra appointments, seven months early.
“At the same time, we are fixing the front door of the NHS by hiring an extra 1,000 GPs, proposing the biggest boost to GP funding in years – an extra £889 million – and bringing back the family doctor so patients most in need see the same doctor at every appointment.
