It has been reported this week that the number of GPs has fallen as demand surges, making it increasingly hard for doctors to guarantee safe care.
Professor Martin Marshall, who is Chair of the Royal College of GPs, has said that numbers of GPs had fallen by 4.5%. With an ageing population and increased need for care, there is clearly a significant concern, with Professor Marshall saying that GPs fear making serious mistakes due to excessive workloads.
The demand for services from GPs, including more complex consultations and the vaccination programme is already putting doctors under strain, thus the drop in numbers of GPs are adding to these difficulties significantly.
Professor Marshall said:
“GPs are finding it increasingly hard to guarantee safe care to their patients….The chances of making a mistake in diagnosis or a mistake in a referral decision or a mistake in prescribing are all greater when you’re under stress.”
He was speaking out following criticism of GPs over continuing difficulties for some patients to access face-to-face appointments, as remote appointments had become increasingly necessary during the pandemic.
The Royal College of GPs is calling for an emergency rescue package to support surgeries, which will include the recruitment of 6,000 more GPs and 26,000 more support staff by 2024.
This isn’t the first time that increased recruitment has been considered, as it was promised back in 2015 by the Government that 5,000 extra GPs would be hired within five years. However, in 2019, the Health Secretary admitted that they had failed to meet this recruitment target and a fresh promise was made by the Conservatives to recruit 6,000 more GPs by 2025.
Comment
When patient safety comes under threat in this way, it is hugely concerning. GPs can do no more than they already are, particularly under the current circumstances of the pandemic, but stretching themselves to the absolute limit when it is clear there is a massive deficit in numbers versus demand, this may not be enough to guarantee the safety of the patients in their care. When under such significant pressure, with mounting demand and long hours, mistakes are much more likely to be made.
It is vital that the Government revisits their recruitment promise and considers the emergency rescue package that has been requested by The Royal College of GPs as soon as possible.
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Danielle Young is a Senior Associate in our Medical Negligence team.
If you have any questions in relation to the subjects discussed in this article, then please get in touch with Danielle or another member of the team in Derby, Leicester or Nottingham on 0800 024 1976 or via our online form.