Imposed contract is a risk to stability

Practice managers believe the new contract for GPs poses a risk to the “stability” of general practice, and the IGPM says it’s been inundated with comments from its members. The IGPM says the key problem is the limited uplift in funding at 2%, while the National Living Wage has been increased by 9.8%.

In a statement, it commented: “The Government seems to have an agenda for general practice that they seem unwilling to share or understand. If their intention is the ultimate demise, then they are well on the way to achieving this.”

Meanwhile, the BMA has announced details of its vote of GPs, which began last week. The vote will simply ask GPs whether they accept the changes to the contract imposed by NHS England.

Practices urged to sign up as veteran friendly

A drive has been launched to encourage practices to become “veterans friendly”. Also, the Government is offering extra resources, in the form of a new Veteran Mobility Fund, to provide support for patients who have been in the armed forces.

Accredited veteran-friendly practices can now be found throughout England. Under the scheme, practices take extra steps to identify veterans, undertake training and have a clinical lead for veterans’ issues. The Royal College of GPs says accreditation takes only 20 minutes.

Kate Davies, National Director for Armed Forces Health, NHS England, said: “It’s really important that veterans who need treatment and support get the help they need and the best way to do this is to register with a GP practice and tell them you’ve served.”

Finance survey to reveal the condition of Welsh practices

Practices in Wales are to undertake a detailed financial survey as part of the campaign to secure more resources for their work. The Royal College of GPs is working with the Institute General of Practice Management (IGPM) on the project. The conference of Welsh GPs heard it would seek “granular data” on the sustainability of practices.

The project was revealed by Dr Gareth Oelmann, Chair of the BMA’s GP Committee in Wales. A petition supporting general practice has also gained 21,500 signatures in Wales.

Dr Oelmann said: “The sands of time are running low, and time is running out. We have called for action from the Welsh Government, and given all the evidence, the overwhelming question to them must be ‘If not now, when?’”.

Record appointments “unsustainable”?

NHS England reports that practices delivered a record number of appointments last year. In January, practices provided 32.5 million appointments – that’s 20% more than the previous month. There were 360 million appointments over 12 months, which is 53 million more than in 2019.

Primary Care Minister Andrea Leadsom said: “Our GPs continue to provide world-class care to all patients who come through their doors, and I am grateful to all staff who go above and beyond to support those who need it.”

However, the Royal College of GPs said the data showed “unsustainable” workloads.

Most child mental health visits are one-offs

Children and young people who visit their practice for mental health problems are unlikely to follow up the visit, according to a new study at Manchester University, where researchers found “low or declining rates of ongoing contact”.

Their study, published in Lancet Psychiatry, found that about half of these patients do not seek further help. They say it’s likely this is because the problems resolved following the visit, but warn it could also indicate that a minority are not getting the help they need. However, the study of 370,000 teenagers and children found low rates of hospitalisation among this, predominantly male, group.