Safe care can’t be guaranteed say half of GPs

Almost half of GPs say they can “no longer guarantee safe care” for their patients.

A poll of family doctors found that 49 per cent thought GPs were under so much pressure they could not promise safe care.

Family doctors are under “overwhelming pressure” and grappling with massive workloads and increasingly complex cases, the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) said.

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Some 85 per cent of those questioned thought general practice was “in crisis”.

The RCGP poll, of 258 UK family doctors, found that a fifth had sought support, guidance or advice for work-related stress.

More than half said they saw between 40 and 60 patients a day and almost all (93 per cent) believed that working in general practice was more stressful than five years ago.

The college said GPs get 9 per cent of the NHS’s annual budget, but cater for 90 per cent of patients.

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