The NHS in England faces a “crippling shortage” of GPs and general practice nurses in the next 10 years, experts have warned. The Health Foundation’s REAL Centre estimated the shortage of qualified, permanent GPs will substantially deteriorate over the next decade to 10,700 full-time equivalent (FTE) GPs in 2030/31. This compares with a shortage of…

Researchers have called for interventions to support practice staff after a study highlighted widespread distress caused by working during the COVID pandemic. Nearly half of primary care workers in Spain showed significant psychological distress during the pandemic, according to an analysis published today. A team of researchers led by Dr Enric Aragones of the Primary…

The world has changed so much in recent times that we now face some fundamental philosophical questions, including, “What constitutes a GP practice?” According to Wikipedia, General Practice is “services provided by general practitioners”. Let’s not dwell on how out of date that is, or how disrespectful it is to all the other clinicians apart…

Scottish practices are to get funding to modernise phone systems alongside new support to bring in a range of healthcare professionals, it has been announced. The Scottish government announced a total of £82.6 million to expand teams within practices and “modernise systems.” It says that new clinicians will include pharmacists and nurses to assist with…

What you need to know as practice managers NHSE have released “Our plan for improving access for patients and supporting general practice”, so what do we need to know as practice managers? This financial year, general practice has provided more appointments than in the equivalent period before the pandemic. There is also an acknowledgement that…

Practices will face new patient rating systems and league tables as part of a long-promised rescue package, announced today. The proposals were met with dismay by practice leaders as they mixed threats with limited funding to help relieve pressures. NHS England released its proposals – as government sources claimed that the proposals will “name and…

The public recognise that doctor shortages are the key problem in general practice, campaigners say today. A new campaign seeks to turn public opinion following controversy over claims that patients cannot get face to face appointments. The British Medical Association is using the slogan “Support Your Surgery” for the campaign. A major petition calls on…