ALMOST HALF OF PATIENTS ‘RARELY OR NEVER SEE THE SAME GP’
Almost half of patients hardly ever or never see the same GP, a poll has found.
The survey of more than 2,300 UK adults for the Liberal Democrats found 47 per cent who had been to see a doctor more than once in the last couple of years had never, or only rarely, seen the same physician.
For older people the figures were worse, with 27 per cent of over-65s never seeing the same GP.
Research previously published in the BMJ found patients who have kept the same family doctor for more than 15 years had a 25 per cent lower chance of dying, compared to those with a GP relationship lasting a year or less.
The poll found 18 per cent of people who had visited their GP more than once in the past two years never saw the same family doctor.
The same percentage of people polled said they always saw the same GP.
Responding to the figures, the Royal College of GPs said the “reality” was there were not enough doctors to ensure continuity of care for all patients.
‘Surgeries are swamped’
Sir Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, said: “It is a scandal that under this Government’s watch, the family GP has become a thing of the past.
“Pensioners are not receiving the care they need because doctor surgeries are swamped, leaving waiting times spiralling out of control. We need a return to the family GP, starting with older people and those with long-term health conditions.”
He added: “We want to see the return of the named GP, so patients with complex care needs see the same GP and don’t have to waste time going over the same details every time they see a doctor.”
The polling found that the region worse for people never seeing the same GP for every appointment is the South East of England, where a quarter said they never see the same GP.
The Lib Dems are calling for all those over 70 and those with a long-term health condition to have access to a named GP, and campaigning for 8,000 more GPs to be recruited in response to the waiting times crisis.
However the Royal College of GPs said while continuity of care was important it was not always necessary for all conditions and warned against setting targets.
‘Not enough GPs’
Commenting on the figures, Prof Kamila Hawthorne, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, said: “We know that continuity of care is highly valued by our patients, particularly those with complex health needs, and has significant benefits for the NHS generally.
“From a GP point of view, it allows us to build trusting relationships with our patients and deliver them truly holistic care.
“The reality is that we don’t have enough GPs to guarantee continuity of care to all patients - and some patients value it more than others, with some prioritising quicker access or convenience.”
“It also isn’t always necessary for a patient to see the same GP, or even a GP, for every appointment - so we would be very cautious about introducing arbitrary mandates for practices to ensure this happens.”
The Government said that there were now more than 2,700 more doctors (FTE) in general practice compared to 2019 with 2022 seeing the highest ever number of doctors accepting a place on GP training.
The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan increases the number of GP training places by 50 per cent.
Minister for Public Health Andrea Leadsom MP said: “We are sticking to the plan to deliver the very best care for patients.”
“This huge unfunded spending commitment from Ed Davey is just another empty promise.
“Just like the Labour Party, the Liberal Democrats can’t say how they will pay for their NHS promises because they don’t have a plan and would take us back to square one.”
2024-04-29T06:04:01Z dg43tfdfdgfd