09/08/2024
In the week ahead, you may hear news about the British Medical Association’s campaign to improve General Practice. What’s it about?
The funding for General Practice - which pays for our building, reception, Doctors, nurses and other staff - has fallen dramatically in real terms over the last 5-10 years. We would all love it if this situation could be improved a bit, allowing us to provide more appointments with more clinicians, from better premises.
https://youtu.be/Tds7ML2OfY8?feature=shared
The Practice has agreed to participate in joint action with the British Medical Association.
This is NOT about pay but about General Practice receiving the amount of funding needed to employ enough doctors, nurses and other staff to provide sufficient appointments and for our staff to work safely. This is also about cutting bureaucracy between GP surgeries and the hospital, ensuring that the hospital does the work required, of them , so that Practices have more time to meet the clinical needs of their patients.
This joint action across the country is aiming for the government to look at General Practice and reconsider the amount of funding it receives. This is not industrial action, we are not on strike.
YOU SHOULD CONTINUE TO ACCESS THE SURGERY AS USUAL. From your perspective as patients this means:
- We will be continuing to cap appointments to safe levels. Diverting to 111 or the Urgent care centre when full.
- Asking that any sick notes related to hospital care are provided by them.
- asking that patients are provided with medication at their hospital appointments
- we will be reviewing services that we receive no funding for and asking our integrated care board to make arrangements for the provision of these services.
Like you, we GPs want to look after your friends, your family, to look after YOU
To have appointments that are simple and easy to make and help you with your health problems LOCALLY
Your family doctor providing continuity of CARE
Why can’t GPs do this?
General practice is being BROKEN, GPs are overstretched and overworked, working long hours and still unable to see all their patients. Many are burning out and opting out. Practices are more expensive to run. Practices are closing. Communities have far fewer GPs and fewer surgeries over the last 10 years. Too many patients struggle to see their family doctor and get the care they need. Practices are being asked to do the work of others and other care providers that historically we have never been involved in.
Why is this?
Demand is increasing
People are becoming more ill
More people have long term conditions
Practice funding in England has fallen by £660m since 2019. General practice is being BROKEN. We now get just 30p a day for every patient registered with us. Less than the cost of an apple and there’s been no funding for more GPs or Practice Nurses at local surgeries
Becoming a GP takes dedication, a decade of education and lifelong continued learning
We do what nobody else can do, providing care from cradle to grave, on your doorstop.
GPs want the same thing you do General Practice as it once was, a family doctor you know 0ffering the care you need in a surgery full of friendly faces. GPs who will and are enabled look after you.
Join us in calling for:-
More GPs
More practice nurses
More appointments
The care you need and we want to give
GPs are on your side
https://www.bma.org.uk/media/2znhuy0y/20240246-gp-patient-facing-surgery-poster_blue_v8.pdf
https://www.bma.org.uk/media/bnjnpa2f/20240245-gp-patient-facing-social-graphics-v5-05.jpg
