Protect your patients, protect your GP practice

You have probably noticed that something is wrong. Look at the difficulty you have in getting an appointment at your local surgery. When you do get through, there may not be an appointment with a GP at all. Have you lost your regular family doctor? You are not alone.

General Practice is collapsing. Every practice across England is struggling to keep its doors open.

We value our patients. We know that most patients value us too, especially when they need us regularly.  You know we can deal with most of your health problems, keep you out of hospital, and have your best interests at heart. The problem is with the mismanagement of the NHS.

Your GP is an expert in general medical practice – trained over 10 years to deal with complex problems, spot serious symptoms, and decide when you need specialist help at the hospital.

But did you know that your practice receives just £107.57 per year for each patient, whatever their health needs. That’s less than the cost of an annual TV licence.

It’s just 30p a day for every patient registered with us – less than the cost of an apple.

To deliver the care needed it is important that GPs are working within safe limits- if doctors are overstretched that is when mistakes can happen and that is NOT what we want for our patients. To ensure safe working practice, we will be following recommendation BMA (British Medical Society) guidance. For patients this means that when our service is at capacity, we will redirect you to other services as appropriate to ensure you get the correct care when you need it.  This means that the reception team will ask you what your complaint is to ensure that you get access to the right professional at the right time.

We believe general practice deserves a bigger slice of NHS funding so we can train and hire more GPs, deliver the services you require and make it easier for you and your loved ones to get appointments to see your GP and practice team. GPs want the same things that you do. We believe nobody should struggle to see their family doctor. General Practice should be as it once was – a familiar family doctor, offering continuity of care in a surgery full of friendly familiar faces within a safe building where you knew you would get the care you needed.

How can you support your family doctor?

Talk to any election candidate who you come across.

When candidates from the political parties come knocking on your door, ask them what they will do to save general practice. What will they do so you can see a GP in a modern local surgery?

Join the patient participation group at your local practice.

Your local practice should have a patient participation group (PPG), which you could join to support the practice and influence the way they deliver local services.