‘Shocking’ GP Surgery Results

Results of a survey showing that one in 20 GPs are considering closing their practice within six months have been described as “shocking” by UKIP’s North East MEP, Jonathan Arnott.

“The government wants to keep people out of hospital and target more resources to primary care but meanwhile the medics they are relying on to make that work are heading for the door.

“We have a major crisis in our health service generally and increasingly it is affecting GPs, who are at the heart of health in the community,” said Mr Arnott.

His comments follow a survey in the GP’s medical magazine, Pulse, which showed that of 564 GPs who responded 5% are thinking about handing back their contracts to NHS England within six months. And almost 13% said they could not see their practices remaining viable beyond the next two years.

“The government has spoken of recruiting thousands more GPs but that can’t be done overnight with the lengthy training involved and meanwhile the system is in dire straights.

“There is plainly massive discontent among GPs who are struggling with an increasing workload and this extremely serious situation must be treated as the emergency it is,” said Mr Arnott.

“The bottom line is we should be asking the GPs how the situation should be addressed. Too many times the NHS is re-organised and it just creates more problems than it solves as the views of those actually at the coalface are not taken on board,” he added.