The UK Government’s Plan for Change is yielding promising results, as over 1,500 additional general practitioners have been recruited to the NHS via a new initiative since October last year. This surge in recruitment aims to alleviate the strain on GPs, reduce waiting lists, and expand appointment availability.
The new recruitment drive seeks to address the common “8am scramble” experienced by individuals attempting to secure a doctor’s appointment throughout the year. The government attributed the previous challenges in hiring newly qualified doctors to unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles, which it has now successfully eliminated.
Previously, an estimated 1,000 GPs were anticipated to graduate without job prospects, while the number of fully qualified GPs had decreased by 1,399 compared to ten years ago. Overcoming these barriers forms a crucial part of the Labour’s strategy, accompanied by an £82 million investment to facilitate GP hiring. This concerted effort aligns with the overarching goal of realigning healthcare delivery from hospitals to local communities.
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Highlighting these developments, Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting emphasized the significance of addressing the systemic issues within the NHS. The government’s proactive measures, including the additional investment and extensive reforms, are aimed at enhancing patient access and reinstating the pivotal role of family doctors, ultimately streamlining the appointment process and eradicating the “8am scramble.”
Streeting explained, “By cutting red tape and investing more in our NHS, we have put an extra 1,503 GPs into general practice to deliver more appointments. The extra investment and reforms we have made will allow patients to book appointments more easily, to help bring back the family doctor and end the 8am scramble.”
Notably, the government has already achieved a notable decrease in the NHS waiting list by almost 200,000 individuals, exceeding the set target seven months ahead of schedule, while providing an additional two million appointments since July.
Further reforms within GP surgeries encompass enabling patients to request appointments online during working hours, effectively reducing call volumes and enabling efficient triaging based on medical urgency.
Dr. Amanda Doyle, National Director for Primary Care and Community Services, expressed gratitude to the teams involved in the recruitment of new GPs and highlighted the substantial 20% increase in monthly appointments since before the pandemic. However, she emphasized the need for continued efforts in maximizing the use of funding to further bolster GP recruitment and expedite patient care.