Spearheaded by health secretary Jeremy Hunt, the new
Conservative government plan to achieve a seven-day GP service, with patients throughout
England to be provided with free GP access from 8am to 8pm. On top of providing
a true seven day NHS, the Conservatives also plan to take steps to tackle the
burnout that is increasingly common in the GP profession.
A popular move?
Whilst plans for a seven day GP service are understandably
popular with the majority of people, the British Medical Association are less
convinced that the government will be able to achieve their plans of increasing
NHS funding in England by a minimum of £8bn a year, and recruit 5,000 GPs.
However, the BMA question just how the new government will be able to translate
their plans into reality and deliver a seven day NHS and increase funding when
the NHS currently faces a funding gap of £30bn and a severe shortage of GPs.
Unrealistic aims
Representatives from the Royal College of General
Practitioners also share a similar opinion to that of the BMA, finding it
difficult to envisage how the government will achieve their aims without a huge
investment in general practice and considerable changes to GP contracts and
boost to the GP workforce. Whilst pledges of a seven day NHS are generally
popular, across general practice, the new plans are seen as unrealistic. The
real big question is where additional GP recruits will come from, with GP
shortages continuing as increasing numbers of GPs decide to take early
retirement, or instead decide to work as a locum.
Are locums the
answer?
Whilst finding the GP workforce to provide 8am-8pm care
seven days a week will no doubt be a challenge, the answer to filling the
shortages in GPs could be to look to locum agencies. With the need for skilled
and experienced GPs more important than ever before, locum GPs can fill thegaps in general practice to provide free healthcare whenever and wherever
patients need it. By working with locum healthcare agencies, GP practices can
be confident that all candidates are suitable for the job in the hand, with all
locum doctors thoroughly vetted.
With GP contracts putting general practitioners under
pressure and many feeling that they are unable to provide the level of care
that patients deserve, it is unsurprising that the numbers of locum GPs
continue to rise. With many locum GPs gaining valuable experience working in
general practice before deciding to work on a locum basis, locum healthcare
could indeed be the answer to providing a seven day service for GP practices
throughout the country.
If you are a GP practice looking for highly skilled and
experienced doctors to fill temporary positions, or if you are locum GP looking
for work within the general practice sector, you can call Locum Select on 0121
308 5125.
