There are huge issues that need addressing in general practice, which will obviously have an effect on workforce, and there are workforce issues that are going to impact on practices. And they’re intertwined.
This report is so important because it gives quick, short-term strategies that the Department of Health could implement quickly and cost effectively, which could ease this strain.
But it also calls for, in the medium to long term, significant investment and dedication to sort out this crisis. Unless they implement that, general practice in the long-term, in its current format, is undeliverable because of the increased demand and decreased workforce.
These are simple fixes, they’re all in the report, and they’re things we’ve had already. They’re schemes that were negotiated with us, with national contracts and terms and conditions – very good schemes that doctors and GPs valued. There is no reason why they can’t be immediately implemented, other than the fact that NHS England obviously don’t want to pay.
Dr Beth McCarron-Nash is a GPC negotiator
