We believe that General practice should be at the heart of every community; Keeping patients safe, healthy, and providing the strong foundations upon which the rest of the NHS depends.
You may have read online or in local papers recently that some practices are passing work back to the hospital. Following discussion with the patient participation group we have chosen to continue providing certain services passed on from secondary care however we do so with increasing concern. The growing volume of this work, often unfunded or inadequately resourced, is making it harder for us to meet the needs of our own patients.
We fully support the actions of colleagues across general practice who have given notice on these services. Their decisions highlight a system that has become unsustainable. GPs now carry out over 400 million appointments every year, and while 90% of all NHS contact happens in primary care, less than 10% of NHS funding comes to us.
In our area, the funding we receive for these additional services is a fraction of what is offered in neighbouring regions. This inequity cannot continue.
This pressure is taking a real toll. It has become the norm for our GPs to work 13-hour shifts in Wigton, often without proper breaks, in order to meet demand. This is not safe, not sustainable, and is contributing to burnout across our team. Without urgent action, we have real concerns about the future viability of our service.
Reduced investment in general practice will inevitably lead to fewer GPs, longer waiting times for patients, and greater risk to the wellbeing of existing teams. We cannot continue to prop up a broken system without support from our local community.
Despite these pressures our practice continues to innovate, making better use of technology, introducing new roles and improving process and systems.
But we are at a tipping point.
There is nothing more important to us than being here for you. But it is getting harder every day.
General practice is at risk. If you want your GP to provide the best care for you and your family, we need your support — and the support of the system — to build a general practice that’s fit for the future. Please help by writing to your local MP.
