Cold Weather Causes Increased Patient Demand Across England

The recent cold snap has caused a large increase in patient demand within GP surgeries and other health services.  Public Health England has even advised GPs to prioritise patients who may be particularly vulnerable to the cold, in order to prevent weather related health conditions from escalating.  Patients at risk include the elderly and infirm, infants and asthma patients.

Severe Asthma Patient Numbers Double

Figures from Public Health England have revealed that the rates of lower respiratory tract infection are at an all-time high; and the number of patients experiencing severe asthma has doubled since this time last year.  These cold weather related issues are putting a strain on a number of GP surgeries, as more and more patients are seeking prompt medical advice.  One way of dealing with the increased demand from patients during the cold spell is to hire the services of locum GPs; who can be booked at relatively short notice in order to ease the pressure from permanent GPs. 

Catch it. Kill it. Bin it

But what other methods can be used to try to combat health issues which are related to cold weather?  It has also been revealed that confirmed cases of flu are at their highest levels in three years - which understandably not only puts added pressure on GP surgeries, but also A&E departments.  Public health officials have created a campaign which informs the public to ‘Catch it.  Bin it.  Kill it,’ as a method of reminding the general public to dispose of tissues once they have been used, and to wash their hands thoroughly to help to kill the flu virus.  The campaign message is simple yet effective and aims to reduce the flu virus spreading during the winter months.

Booking Locum GPs

Whilst most Practice Managers will be aware that winter will understandably lead to a greater demand in patients needing to see their GP, as the weather is particularly cold this year they may find that their usual strategy is not coping with the sudden increased demand.  Booking one or more locum GPs can certainly help to provide a more efficient service to patients, and will also help to ease the strain on the permanent GPs.

To find out more about booking a locum GP or perhaps registering as a locum GP, feel free to visit the Locum Select website http://www.locumselect.com/locum-gp.php in order to find out more.

GP Workforce Crisis is Great News for the Locum GP

If you work in the healthcare industry then you will be only too aware of the difficulties arising from the recent NHS reforms.  As a knock-on effect of this, a wave of early retirements and increased pressure on the general practice workforce has led to vacancies at GP surgeries across the country.  

This rise in vacancies has unsurprisingly led to a surge in demand for locum GPs.  In a recent survey by Medeconomics.co.uk, 53% of the locums questioned said demand for their services had increased, despite the fact that over 60% of them said they were aware that practices in their area were trying to reduce costs.

Whilst some practices may view the custom of hiring a locum GP to be an additional squeeze on budgets, at a time when things are already stretched, the more forward-thinking surgeries are realising that this is the best way forward.  Hiring locums enables the GP practice to deliver a constantly high level of care and service to patients and can help to fill those temporary gaps caused by holidays, sick leave or recent departures.

GP practices may be desperate to balance the books and make their resources stretch as far as possible but it seems many will have little choice but to turn to the services of a Locum GP.  Yes, practices have had their budgets cut but they will continue to put the patient first, even if this does mean incurring higher costs in the short term.  After all, hiring locums is a great way to ease pressure on the workload of other practice GPs whilst actively recruiting for permanent GPs to join the workforce in place of those who have retired or departed.

Despite the cost element, there are many reasons why practices will benefit from hiring locums, these may include:

• Quick and short term solution when there is no time to recruit for permanent positions
• The locum agency will work with the client to find the most suitable candidate for vacancy
• All applicants are screened by the agency which delivers peace of mind to practice managers
• Locum GPs can offer a fresh and sometimes more thorough approach to patients as they have had no prior contact with them and will therefore need to get more background information on their condition.

The versatility of the locum doctor makes them an ideal candidate to fill temporary roles within general practice.  If you would like to find out more about the advantages of hiring a locum GP please visit the Locum Select website.

Current GPs Are Facing Burnout – Could Working As A Locum Be The Answer?

A recent article published on the GP Online website (http://www.gponline.com/) has stated that trainee GPs ought to be given resilience training in order to prevent them from reaching burnout during their career.  GPs face all sorts of pressure during their working life, whether they are a newly qualified GP or whether they have been in the role for a number of years.  Getting the work-life balance just right is a tricky task and one which very few GPs get right, but could working as a locum GP be the answer?

Providing resilience training for GPs was a main topic of discussion at 2014’s annual RCGP conference which was held in Liverpool.  It was felt that whilst trainee GPs are given adequate training from a clinical point of view, little support or guidance was offered in relation to how they ought to manage their role from a personal point of view.  Being able to sustain the amount of time trainees can spend in real life working situations, such as during half day release, is very important as this time can provide trainees with a clear idea of the pressures they will be facing on a daily basis.  They need to learn and develop tools during their training on how to handle heavy workloads and difficult situations which they can rely upon once they are qualified.

Many GPs are turning to locum GP agencies as an alternative to working in a full time, permanent role.  In fact, around 15,500 GPs in the UK are now working as a locum GP, and for good reason too:

• Locum GPs can have greater flexibility in terms of choosing their working hours.  They may only wish to sign up to work a handful of sessions per week, or they could choose a greater number of hours if they so wished.
• Working as a locum can give more variety, instead of working at the same practice every day, locum GPs can work in an assortment of healthcare settings.  This can benefit newly qualified doctors as they may not be sure about which area of practice they wish to follow, or it can help to keep an experienced GP on their toes by having the opportunity to deal with different kinds of patients.
• Working as a locum GP can be financially rewarding for the GP, as they can charge a higher hourly rate than they would receive as a permanent GP.

Of course, working as a Locum GP also means that the individual does not have the usual stresses and strains which are commonly felt by employed GPs.  It can give them the flexibility to take time off as and when they need it, meaning they will be more productive during their working hours.

To find out more about working as a locum GP or to get intouch with a locum GP agency, feel free to take a look at the Locum Select website. 

Does Working As A Locum Provide GPs With A Better Work-Life Balance And Therefore Improve Their Morale?

A recent survey by the British Medical Association shows that GPs are more likely than any other branch of medical practice to experience low morale. The results of the BMA poll show that almost three quarters (72.8%) of GPs currently feel that their workload is not only unmanageable, but also unsustainable.

This figure is almost double that of consultants, of whom only 40% felt that their current workload was unmanageable or unsustainable, considering they were the second most likely group of medical practitioners to feel this way. It is therefore not a surprise that GPs were also found to have the lowest morale of any group of doctors.

The results of the BMA poll found that roughly 40% of all doctors described themselves as experiencing low morale, however, GP morale was found to be lowest of all. On a scale of one being very low morale, to five being high morale, GPs scored an average of 2.38, suggesting that low morale within general practice is widespread.

Given that so many GPs feel that their workload is unmanageable and they are experiencing diminished morale, GPs have also been found to be the least satisfied group of doctors in terms of their work life balance. Around 55% of GPs admitted to always working beyond their normal expected hours of work over the past month; as with their overall morale, this is a much higher percentage than in any other branch of medical practice.

Given that so many GPs feel overworked and generally unhappy with their profession, it comes as no surprise that 44% have considered early retirement, or at least quitting general practice before they reach retirement age.

With GP morale at an all-time low, increasing numbers of GPs are deciding against full-time positions, and are instead deciding to work on a locum basis. Locum GPs generally have a much higher morale than full-time general practice doctors as they are able to manage their own work load so that it is sustainable for them.

Due to being able to pick and choose placements from locum agencies, Locums are able to benefit from considerable flexibility in their schedule, so if they choose, they can work consistently for a long period, before taking some time off to be able to properly unwind, or even working on a more sporadic basis. Working as a locum does not have anywhere near the same level of pressures of working as a full-time GP, allowing individuals to enjoy a much healthier work-life balance.

If you are a GP and feel that your current workload is unmanageable and are experiencing low morale, you can visit the Locum Select website to find out more about how being a locum GP could benefit you.

What Can Be Done About The Current GP Trainee Shortage?

A recent report from the Health Education England has confirmed that GP recruitment levels are well below target and England’s GP workforce is actually shrinking.  This news is worrying, though it accurately reflects the thoughts of GP leaders, who have been concerned about the growing pressures on primary care in recent years.  But why are the levels of doctors falling?

·         Many doctors are retiring and wish to take a step back from the demands of full-time general practice

·         A growing number of doctors are leaving the service to start families and are taking time out to raise their young children

·         Many trainees are choosing to specialise in a particular area as opposed to joining general practice

·         Growing numbers of trainees are not completing their training on time

Health Education England’s report, known as ‘Securing the Future GP Workforce’, has a number of suggestions on how to rectify the current GP trainee shortage:

·         GP recruitment has been stuck at just 2,700 per year in recent years, however this target needs to increase to 3,250

·         The number of speciality training posts may need to be cut in order to ensure that medical graduates undertake general practice training

·         General practice needs to be promoted more widely as a career to students at secondary school as well as medical school.  Encouraging medical students to consider general practice during their foundation training may also help to increase recruitment levels.

The report strongly outlines the need to reduce the number of trainees in speciality areas in order to support the Government’s plan to transfer care away from hospitals.  Changes will need to be made in terms of education investment and a carefully devised plan will need to be put into place in order for appropriate timescales to be met.

Whilst many GPs may be looking to reduce their hours in order to improve their work-life balance, working on a locum basis may be a practical option.  Doctors who are approaching retirement age and wish to work on a part-time basis, or parents of young children who wish to work flexible hours which can fit around their family may find that locum work can fit in to their lifestyle.  This solution can also benefit the NHS as an increased number of doctors can stay within general practice, helping to ease the current GP shortage.

To find out more about life as a locum GP or to find out how to register with a locum GP agency, feel free to take a look at the Locum Select website. 

How Locum Agencies Can Help To Fill the Gaps in Out-of-Hours GP Rotas

Due to the growing GP recruitment crisis, as many as 60% of out of hours healthcare providers are struggling to fill empty spaces in their GP rotas.  As they are failing to fill shifts, many out-of-hours providers are also failing to meet national quality requirements.

In light of the increased ‘in-hours’ workloads of GPs, combined with the rising costs of indemnity insurance, the recruitment of out-of-hours GPs is becoming progressively more difficult. Many GPs are simply too tired from their normal working hours to accept extra out-of-hours shifts, whilst even finding agency staff to cover these shifts is becoming difficult.

Due to indemnity fees spiralling almost constantly upwards over the past 2 years, for many doctors, out-of-hours shifts are simply not financially feasible. If GPs are to work 30 out-of-hours sessions a year, if they are to work anymore shifts, they must work for nothing until they achieve 50 out-of-hours sessions just to be able to pay the indemnity premium. This has become a huge problem, as it is actually costing doctors to work out-of-hours.

For many GPs, in addition to the financial implications of working out-of-hours sessions, they are simply too tired to commit to working further hours after a long day’s work. With the huge workloads of many practices, and the sheer volumes of patients and paperwork that they must face every day, doctors don’t want to work as out-of-hours GPs as they will not be able to provide the high quality of care that patients are entitled to.

One the main problems facing many providers of out-of-hours healthcare is that they prefer to employ locally based GPs with a familiarity for local health services in a particular area, however, fewer and fewer GPs are interested in working out of hours. They must therefore turn to locum healthcare providers.

Locum agencies are able to find the right candidates to match each particular GP placement. Some locum GP candidates may prefer to work out-of-hours shifts as they allow them to be more flexible. Due to the high wages paid by locum agencies, the financial implications of working out-of-hours are less for locum GPs. Locum Select, a specialist locum healthcare recruitment agency based in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, are one of the highest payers for out-of-hours shifts.

If you would like to find out more about the GP locum service provided by Locum Select, whether you are a GP looking for out of hours locum work or you are a healthcare provider with temporary vacancies, feel free to telephone Locum Select on 0121 308 5125 or visit the Locum Select website.

Are GPs At Breaking Point? How New Reforms Are Affecting GP Practices

Due to financial cutbacks, considerable numbers of patients could be without a family doctor within the next few years, as many surgeries are faced with possible closure. It has become commonplace in some GP practices for patients to regularly have to wait for up to two weeks just to see a GP for a routine consultation.

Due to further cutbacks that were put into action in April, the British Medical Association warns that up to 100 GP practices could face closure in as little as a few years. Many practices are no longer able to provide the level of care that patients need, with some GPs seeing around 60 patients a day. When considering the calls that GPs must make and take, the paper work that they must complete as well as home visits to patients that are not capable of making their way to the surgery, this leaves GPs no longer than 10 minutes to spend with each patient.

Some GPs have faced such pressure from government cutbacks that they have been forced to make their boundaries smaller, leaving patients from outside these boundaries to find a new GP. However, for some patients, it is not a simple task to find another local practice that can take on new patients, as a neighbouring practice may be in a similar situation where their books are too full for them to be able to take on new patients.

For some people living in rural communities, their local GP surgery closing or shrinking its boundaries could leave them having to travel quite a distance to visit a doctor, and for some patients, this may not be possible.

With a growing population, and people generally living longer, patient demand is increasing and a lot of GPs are feeling considerable strain as their patient load and work load continues to increase. This has led to larger numbers of GPs deciding to retire early, or ever increasingly, working as locum doctors, whilst some young doctors decide against general practice altogether, preferring to work in hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

Locum GPs can benefit from flexibility in their schedules, as they can choose work placements that last anywhere between just a few days or a number of months. One of the key advantages that locum GPs can have is that they are able to take longer leaves of absence, allowing them to relax for longer periods of time, unlike fulltime GPs who cannot take long periods of annual leave at a time, and therefore, often can’t find enough time to fully unwind.

With pressure building on General Practices, it is likely that GPs will need to take leaves of absence to cope with the strains of their job. In this case, practices would be required to hire a locum GP in their place whilst they are away.

To find out more about locum healthcare, you can visit the Locum Select website.