A long term plan to tackle the staffing crisis in general practice is long overdue Response to the Health and Social Care Select Committee’s report on The Future of General Practice

Responding to the Health and Social Care Select Committee’s report on The Future of General Practice, Ruth Thorlby, Assistant Director of Policy, said:

‘The Committee’s report sheds more light on the extreme pressures facing general practice and the need for urgent government action.  

‘These pressures are most acute in areas of high deprivation, where health care needs are higher but general practice is relatively under-funded and under-doctored. It is welcome that the committee recommends a review of the GP funding formula to close the gap between the most and least deprived areas.

‘The committee's focus on continuity of care is important as many people value being able to see the same GP. But GPs will struggle to balance continuity with the need to provide quicker access for urgent care without a solution to growing GP workforce shortages.

GP numbers are already 4,200 short of what is needed to deliver pre-pandemic levels of care. This shortfall could double by 2030–31 without a change of policy. A long term workforce plan for the NHS that addresses the staffing crisis in general practice is long overdue.’
 

Media contact
Billie Morgan
Billie.morgan@health.org.uk
020 7257 8001