“THERE are not enough GPs in this country to manage the demand for healthcare without significant support.”
Dubbed the ‘GP crisis’ a lack of doctors entering the profession and others leaving early is causing significant pressures for those who chose to remain, explained Dorset GP Dr Andy Rutland.
Alongside a shortage of GPs, Dr Rutland explained there is also a lack of advanced nurse practitioners in primary care to manage the level of demand.
He said: “The increasing cohort of allied professionals help enormously in managing demand and these specialists have the appropriate skills to support best patient care.
“The consequence of GPs not entering the profession and others leaving early because of workload demands is that we are less able to offer the previous long term continuity of the family doctor to all those that want it.
“We can however be reactive to the specific needs of patients and offer the most appropriate pathway of care at the right time.
“I have been a GP for 30 years and the job has changed beyond recognition.”
'The job has changed beyond recognition'
Despite the challenges, which are mirrored nationally, GPs have a large team of supporting health care professionals to help provide care for patients, including clinical pharmacists, health care assistants and practice nurses.
Figures from NHS Digital show 489,652 patients were registered at GP practices in the BCP Council area at the end of January – along with the equivalent of 356 full-time GPs.
This means if the patients were equally spread, each GP would be dealing with an average of 1,375 patients.
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Dr Forbes Watson, GP and chair of NHS CCG, said: “Primary care is currently under huge pressure, facing increased demand alongside the delivery of the life-saving Covid-19 vaccination programme whilst at the same time experiencing recruitment issues.”
He added: “We are working with partners across the health and care system in Dorset to do all we can to attract new GPs and other health professionals to Dorset, and recently ran a GP recruitment campaign as part of this, although workforce challenges are not something that are confined to just Dorset.
“At the same time, we hugely value the work of everyone in primary care, and are offering health and well-being support to our practices and their teams in addition to supporting the resilience of general practice.”
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