Dear Patients
SAFE WORKING – COLLECTIVE ACTION.
You may have seen a lot of reports recently in the press and both National and Local TV relating to the pressures local GP Services are under.
General practice is in crisis, with a marked increase in workload at a time of underinvestment and a shortage of GPs. Demand will continue to grow due to an aging population and it is essential that GPs are able to protect themselves and their patients from excessive workload and the impact it has on patient safety and quality of care.
The contractual changes imposed by NHS England over the past three years have done nothing to recognise and address these pressures. Instead, there has been a repeated failure to recognise and act to support the needs of patients, practices, GPs and the wider staff team. The present crisis is so severe that GPC England strongly recommends practices take urgent action to preserve their ability to deliver safe, high quality patient care and to protect the wellbeing of their practice teams.
The nation’s population and demographics are changing, with more complexity and comorbidities.
The number of patients each GP is now responsible for has been steadily rising, with the average number of patients each GP takes care of increasing by nearly 17% since 2015 to 2,295.
The Family Doctor Charter of 1965 and 1966 GP Contract introduced a limit of 2,000 patients per GP, recognising the need for effective workload management as a basis for the delivery of safe, high-quality patient care.
The European Union of General Practitioners and BMA have recommended a safe level of patient contacts per day in order for a GP to deliver safe care at not more than 25 contacts per day.
As part of the Poole Central Primary Care Network, The Newman Practice will be adopting these measures within the weeks ahead.
To ensure the safety and wellbeing of both our patients and staff, once this limit has been reached our team may offer you an alternative.
If your medical issue is urgent and cannot wait, please consider seeking help from other NHS services such as NHS 111 or your local pharmacy.
We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding.
