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GP sector in Crisis - Burstow
January 16, 2004 12:00 AM
The GP sector is lurching from crisis to crisis and heading towards meltdown, according to latest figures published today by the Liberal Democrats.
The figures coincide with the launch of a major new health policy by the Liberal Democrats - Healthcare Closer to Home - which would put an end to Government targets, give local people more say in the NHS and shift the balance of healthcare from cure to prevention.
Liberal Democrat research shows that the GP sector is in crisis:
- There are over 3000 GP vacancies. Any new GPs coming on stream will
only fill existing gaps and not provide additional posts
- Despite huge investment in the NHS, there are only 65 more GPs since
1999
- The NHS is likely to need over 16,000 extra GPs in the next seven
years
- Progress on meeting the Government target for more GPs is so slow
that it will be met four years late
- 1 in 3 London GPs are unable to take on new patients
- Waiting times are getting worse. Nearly three-quarters of patients
wait 2 or more days for an appointment with a GP of their choice
- The Government's target for shorter waiting times is making matters
worse as patients cannot book appointments in advance
- A retirement time bomb and Government plans for the NHS mean even
more GPs are needed over the next ten years
Paul Burstow MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, said:
"With GP vacancies mounting, surgeries turning away patients and retirements outstripping recruitment, the GP sector is lurching from crisis to crisis. The Government's failure to recruit enough GPs is holding the NHS back from delivering a truly world class service.
"The local GP is the cornerstone of the health service. Patients are facing enormous difficulties finding a GP; waiting longer and finding it harder to get care out of hours. Under Labour, local NHS services are going to rack and ruin.
"Ministers must stop interfering in local decisions. Until we get real local control over health services, the Government will simply devolve the blame but keep the control. Clinicians and patients must have a real say in how their services are run."
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