Last week I met with the Leatside GP practice manager and a GP to discuss government funding for GPs. Falling in real terms for the last seven years, the funding crisis is stretching GP surgeries to the limit. And as delays in access to secondary care continue, patients are presenting more often, and with more complicated conditions to GPs. Increased pain management is also required as they wait for hospital care.
The closure of GP pharmacies is also having a knock-on effect as this piles pressure onto surgeries to offer flu jabs, blood pressure checks etc which could all be done in a pharmacy to relieve pressure on waiting lists.
While hospital funding is absolutely crucial the government must also urgently address the crisis in GP funding and agree a settlement with the network.
I have written to the minister to find out what measures are being considered to increase GP funding and how the burden of target-based work can be reduced to allow GPs to focus more on patient care and less on administration.
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