Dr Mary McCarthy: GPs need time, support and resources to cope
Earlier this month, GPs from all over the country gathered in London to try and explain to the media and the public the current problems facing general practice and to discuss a range of possible solutions that may help.
There were many impassioned speeches from GPs who felt at the end of their tether. They pointed out that funding for general practice has been reduced year on year for some time, and that the pressures have led many GPs to leave the profession, leaving practices struggling to provide the care their patients need.
Older doctors are retiring and younger doctors are choosing not to go into general practice. Across the country GP practices are closing their doors to new patients because they feel they cannot safely deal with higher numbers of patients.
Shropshire is relatively protected compared to neighbouring areas but even here practices are having difficulty seeing the number of patients who want appointments. Doctors in GP practices in the UK, and especially in England, are often routinely seeing 40-50 patients a day each. Think about that number – a hospital outpatient department, operating a morning and afternoon clinic might see 16-20 patients a day, a solicitor may see 5-7 clients in a day, vets don't see this number of animals in their surgeries.
GPs tend to have a standard 10 minute/patient slot. Many practices feel this is inadequate and have already increased their consultation times to 12-15 minutes. This means that maybe less appointments are available in the day, even if the day is extended.
Some problems may be easily dealt with in 10 minutes but others take considerably longer and with elderly patients, who may need a physical examination as well as a discussion of the treatment plan, just helping them onto the couch may take ten minutes. Altering appointments times may work but absolute numbers are also important. Each patient, whether they take 10 minutes or half an hour is presenting with a problem that is of concern to them and needs equal attention and concentration. The cumulative effect of dealing with 30, 40 or 50 problems in a day may lead to tiredness, stress and doctors leaving the profession of general practice.
The Commonwealth Fund, which is an independent US think-tank stated in its latest report that not only does the UK spend less than almost all the other nations surveyed on health care, but the UK also has the most stressed GPs.
We need to find some way of making general practice manageable again so that young doctors think that becoming a GP is a good career move.
Making sure each GP has the time, support and resources necessary to give patients the care they deserve is vital in achieving this.
