GP recruitment ‘crisis’ as family docs struggle

Figures from the British Medical Association (BMA) showed only 10 per cent of GPs in the North West had a manageable workload and were able to provide quality and safe care to patients.

Only one in eight GPs had reported not needing to fill a gap in their workforce.

Dr David Wrigley, the BMA’s Lancashire representative, said: “The findings highlight the serious recruitment challenges facing general practice in North West.

“Worryingly, a third of GP practices in the region said that they have been unable to fill vacancies in the past year and only fourteen per cent said they had no issues filling gaps in their workforce.

“This should serve as an urgent wake up call for this government.”

Dr Chaand Nagpaul, BMA GP committee chair, said it was deeply concerning to have permanent holes in the workforce that are not filled.

He said: “Only a small number of GP practices are operating with no vacancies, while the vast majority of GP services are suffering from constant shortages of GPs.

“It is clear that the crisis is so bad that general practice is being kept afloat by the essential help of locums who are stepping in to provide day to day services to patients.

“These chronic shortages come despite government promises at the last election to recruit 5,000 more GPs, a pledge that has failed to materialise.

“As these figures demonstrate, those practices with long term vacancies are also those struggling with an unmanageable workload, leaving many GP services struggling to provide even basic care to their community.

“We need ministers to listen to the warnings from grassroots GPs and implement in full their pledges in the GP Forward View to properly staff and resource general practice.

“While NHS England has accepted the BMA’s recommendations from our Urgent Prescription for General Practice we now need words turned in to swift action to rapidly turn around this current crisis in GP services.”