Seven-day opening of GP surgeries ‘unachievable’

According to the Royal College of GPs, the government’s intention to open GP surgeries in England seven days a week risks destabilising care and is unachievable in the current Parliament.

Ministers have pledged access to GPs seven days a week by 2020, and have promised 5,000 extra doctors to facilitate that.

However, Maureen Baker, president of the RCGP, has said that these extra GPs would be needed mostly to fill the gaps in the current workforce, saying that the current vacancy rate amongst GPs could be over 10%.

Dr Baker went on to say “We haven’t the nurses and the support staff to do the hours were already contracted to do, never mind extend those.

“Therefore, frankly, 8.00 am to 8.00 pm seven days a week for routine general practice is unachievable.”

She said that persisting with the government’s current plans could create problems. “The danger is that in order to provide services over those extended hours, that you destabilise other parts of the service.

“You’re fishing from the same pool, so if those doctors are attracted to that work, instead of out-of-hours service for instance, then there’s a risk that you destabilise the out-of-hours service so that people can come and have routine care on a Sunday teatime.”

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Posted by Tony May, Partner/head of Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), Medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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