If you work in the healthcare industry, you will no doubt
have heard of the plans by Jeremy Hunt – the Health Secretary, to create a new
deal for GPs. The plans include the recruitment of 5,000 new GPs and a reduced
workload, in return for a seven-day service to go some way towards solving the
current GP crisis, but what about the patients?
As of last week, over 2,200 people from the Campaign for GP
Survival group had signed a petition against the proposed changes, stating that
they would ‘erode primary care and put patient safety at risk’. Even the BMA Chairman, Dr Mark Porter,
branded the new deal a poor solution. He
asked the all-important question of where the funding would come from, when
practices have had their budgets cut year on year, and hundreds of training
posts are still unfulfilled?
When we
blogged about the 7 day NHS plans last month, we mentioned that hiring a
Locum GP could be the solution to the crisis.
Locums can fill the gaps in general practice, providing a skilled and
efficient workforce as and when required.
So what is the best way out of the current crisis, when surely the most
important thing is patient care and safety?
Could it be that this is all part of a serious deterioration
in NHS services, which will rekindle the age-old argument of privatisation?
Whatever your stand point, one thing is certain. Patients cannot suffer because of
bureaucracy. Realistic estimates need to
be set. You cannot expect a workforce of
5,000 new GPs in five years’ time, if it takes ten years to train them. Also what can be done about intermediary care
and support services to relieve the burden on GPs? How many times have you
visited your doctor when you haven’t really needed to – perhaps some advice
would have sufficed?
GPs remain resilient in the face of this crisis, and locum
agencies are standing by to support the gaps in the workforce, by providing
experienced and skilled doctors when required.
In the long term, I don’t think any of us know how this crisis is going
to resolve itself. However, as GPs we
must stick to our guns and do what we were put here to do – and that is to put the
health of our patients first.
