In the same week that the people of France declared they would switch off their Blackberries at 6pm and would no longer work evenings or weekends, the British government announced a new programme that will see over a thousand GPs’ surgeries offering a seven-day service, and 8am-8pm opening hours. Slightly ironic, that while the French get their work-life balance in check, the emphasis for GP surgery staff may soon be on the ‘work’, rather than the ‘life’.

Lucky patients

Of course, the benefits of this £50m in government funding for 1147 surgeries in the UK are clear for those who rely on GP services, and other NHS departments:

• Patients who struggle to see their doctor during their often inflexible working week will be more likely to get an appointment at a good time for them, therefore improving the healthcare experience for millions of people.
• A&E departments that are forced to see people when they are unable to get a GP appointment will be less under pressure, as GPs’ extend their availability.

The funding can only help GPs improve their service for patients – as well as increasing opening hours, they will have the ability to offer electronic prescriptions, phone consultations, and even Skype appointments. A flexible, technologically savvy service in line with today’s patients’ needs and hectic lifestyles. Lucky patients.

Good or bad thing for GPs?

The impact of this, however, on doctors’ surgeries is yet to be seen.

On one hand, as many surgeries have already experienced, virtual appointments can dramatically cut down on time pressures for GPs, who after a brief phone conversation with a patient, can advise that no further appointment is needed. More working hours mean more jobs for people in the GP sector. Flexible opening hours mean the numbers of cancellations and missed appointments due to inconvenient times could drop. Overall, happier patients so fewer complaints and abuse for surgery staff to deal with.

On the other hand, longer opening hours mean longer working days for surgery employees, when they already have a heavy workload. It also means increasing resources and overheads – all logistics practice managers are likely to have to pick up. There is no evidence to say that cancellations and missed appointments will cease. Will surgeries be able to meet the demand for weekend or after-work appointments, and if not, will complaints and abuse towards surgery staff increase?

Time for the champagne yet?

While many of us working in the GP sector welcome innovation and funding, it’s also essential to consider how such changes will impact on GPs’ surgeries’ ability to carry on providing an effective and caring service for patients. Patients come first, as we all know, but surgeries also need the resources, time and technology in order to cope with additional demand.

So, while unlike the French, surgery staff can no longer celebrate the weekend with a glass of Bordeaux on a Friday night, we will hopefully see the benefits of this funding sooner rather than later. Only when we’ve seen a positive impact on both the patient’s experience and on practices, will  we be cracking open the champagne!