Creative solutions needed to ensure appointments are still delivered by GPs

Experts found the number of GP practices in England has dropped by a fifth over the last decade at the same time as more patients join surgery lists.

Creative solutions are going to be needed in the interim and for the long-term. It is not sustainable to continue to throw money at the NHS.

The burning question is why when technology offers so much potential for efficiencies, why is it that all parts of the healthcare system are unable to harness these efficiencies.

The number of staff, such as administrators and non-doctor roles, working in GP surgeries has risen over the past decade but the number of GPs per 1,000 patients has fallen.

Retaining GPs needs to be the immediate priority for the Government but then it also needs to focus on ensuring that there is a sufficient supply of GPs in the future.

It will be interesting to see what the new Health Secretary Wes Streeting’s plan is to tackle the issue. With little wriggle room financially, he and the Government will need to act adroitly.

General practice is in a period of transition in this country according to Dr Luisa Pettigrew, who authored the study. With the smaller partnership-based model of general practice being replaced by larger organisations with more administrative and multidisciplinary staff but fewer GPs.

It’s indicative of a wider trend in healthcare and will be a concern for communities already suffering from a lack of provisions such as access to pharmacies and dentists.

Currently, there seems to be a provision for profit model rather than one that tends to patient needs.