The RCGP has challenged all political parties to match Labour’s pledge to increase the number of GPs in the NHS by 8,000 over the next parliament, in a new 10-point manifesto.
Launched at the Labour conference, the plan urges politicians to develop a numbers-boosting action plan, including financial incentives for graduates to work in underdoctored areas and easier pathways for returners.
It calls for further investment in general practice premises, the promotion of ‘GP-led’ models of integrated care and cuts to box-ticking and ‘artificial targets’.
The college says parties must guarantee that they will not launch further top-down reorganisations, or introduce charges for NHS services at point of access.
The manifesto states: ‘To tackle this growing crisis, we urgently need “new deal” for general practice – so that family doctors can deliver shorter waiting times and more personalised care’
