'˜Severe crisis' facing GPs in Leeds and across Yorkshire as resources fail to meet demand
A new report by the Royal College of GPs says there is already a “severe crisis” in general practice as resources fail to keep up with general demand.
Now, on day three of a special series of reports analysing massive reorganisation plans for Yorkshire’s NHS, plans can be revealed to ‘upskill’ staff and bring in GP assistants to cope with an expected rise in the number of patients to be cared for outside of an acute setting.
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Hide AdAcross Yorkshire, schemes have been laid out for other medical staff such as community pharmacists and physicians’ assistants to deal with many currently coming through GPs’ doors.
But experts have warned that while there is absolutely a need for urgent change, much investment will be needed to make it a reality.
“The idea of transferring even more work onto the shoulders of already overstretched professionals is going to be even more difficult to sustain without causing more problems,” said Dr Richard Vautrey, Leeds GP and deputy chairman of the BMA’s GP committee. “The theory of being able to deliver more in the community is indisputable. The challenge is in going to be able to deliver that.”
Plans for the reorganisation of the NHS to help save £22bn nationally are putting a greater focus on general practices taking appointments currently done in hospitals - while GPs will focus on patients with the most-complex long-term illnesses and are less likely to see others with more minor ailments. New technologies are being introduced, and patients are to be encouraged to look after their own health more.
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Hide AdIn South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw, even treatments like chemotherapy ‘could be given outside hospital’, while Yorkshire is to be a trial area for new GP assistants, who will handle administrative jobs and carry out basic clinical tasks.
The idea of using surgery receptionists as ‘care navigators’ to provide initial assessments of people’s medical needs rather than automatically booking people in for GP appointments is being explored in Wakefield.
There is also a drive to use technology to reduce pressure on surgeries, with ‘virtual appointments’’ over phone and email.
The crisis in numbers
£22bn: funding gap facing NHS by 2021
£2bn: Yorkshire’s funding gap for health and social care services
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Hide Ad3: Number of e-consultations that a GP will be able to do in time it takes for one traditional appointment
5,000: Number of new GPs the Government wants to recruit by 2020
33 per cent: Number of GPs in Rotherham due to retire in next five years
24,000: unfilled nursing vacancies across the country
23 per cent: fall in the number of student nurses