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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Hard-pressed GPs say they can no longer guarantee safe treatment | Hard-pressed GPs say they can no longer guarantee safe treatment |
| (3 months later) | |
| Many GPs are so inundated with demands for appointments that they can no longer guarantee to treat patients safely, according to a survey which found that overworked family doctors were feeling increasingly stressed. | Many GPs are so inundated with demands for appointments that they can no longer guarantee to treat patients safely, according to a survey which found that overworked family doctors were feeling increasingly stressed. |
| Many GPs report that they are having to work 11-hour days and see up to 60 patients in that time in an attempt to cope with the extra demand created by longer surgery opening hours and growing numbers of very sick patients. | Many GPs report that they are having to work 11-hour days and see up to 60 patients in that time in an attempt to cope with the extra demand created by longer surgery opening hours and growing numbers of very sick patients. |
| At the same time, the number of people turning up at hospital accident and emergency units has hit a record high, according to new NHS data that has led to renewed calls for the health service to do more to keep the sick from having to go to hospital. | At the same time, the number of people turning up at hospital accident and emergency units has hit a record high, according to new NHS data that has led to renewed calls for the health service to do more to keep the sick from having to go to hospital. |
| A self-selecting survey of 258 family doctors across the UK, conducted for the Royal College of GPs, found 85% of them believed general practice was "in crisis" because of the sheer weight of patients, while half believed that they were so relentlessly busy that they could no longer be sure of providing safe patient care. | A self-selecting survey of 258 family doctors across the UK, conducted for the Royal College of GPs, found 85% of them believed general practice was "in crisis" because of the sheer weight of patients, while half believed that they were so relentlessly busy that they could no longer be sure of providing safe patient care. |
| Some 55% of the GPs said they undertook 40-60 consultations a day. Until recently, they would only have seen that many in the event of a major health problem such as a flu outbreak. Six out of seven (84%) said their workload had increased substantially and 58% worked until at least 7pm. More than nine out of 10 (93%) said working in general practice had become more stressful in the past five years, while 22% had sought support or advice for work-related stress. | Some 55% of the GPs said they undertook 40-60 consultations a day. Until recently, they would only have seen that many in the event of a major health problem such as a flu outbreak. Six out of seven (84%) said their workload had increased substantially and 58% worked until at least 7pm. More than nine out of 10 (93%) said working in general practice had become more stressful in the past five years, while 22% had sought support or advice for work-related stress. |
| Almost half (48%) of the GPs believed patients were having to wait longer for consultations as a result of growing pressures. | Almost half (48%) of the GPs believed patients were having to wait longer for consultations as a result of growing pressures. |
| "General practice is at the heart of the NHS and if it starts to buckle, the whole of the health service starts to buckle and patient care in both primary and secondary care will suffer," said Dr Clare Gerada, chair of the royal college. Urgent action, including agreement to increase general practice's share of the NHS budget from 9% to 10% so that 10,000 more GPs could be hired, was needed to make GPs' workloads sustainable, she added. | "General practice is at the heart of the NHS and if it starts to buckle, the whole of the health service starts to buckle and patient care in both primary and secondary care will suffer," said Dr Clare Gerada, chair of the royal college. Urgent action, including agreement to increase general practice's share of the NHS budget from 9% to 10% so that 10,000 more GPs could be hired, was needed to make GPs' workloads sustainable, she added. |
| The British Medical Association said GPs were facing "intense pressure on a daily basis". | The British Medical Association said GPs were facing "intense pressure on a daily basis". |
| The Department of Health agreed that more GPs were needed. It has asked Health Education England to try to get 50% of medical students to become GPs. | The Department of Health agreed that more GPs were needed. It has asked Health Education England to try to get 50% of medical students to become GPs. |
| Meanwhile, the number of patients going to A&E units is soaring, driven by a big rise in the number of older people needing care, NHS statistics have revealed. Total attendances at hospital A&E units in England have climbed every year for the past eight years, from 17.8m in 2004-05 to 21.7m in the first 11 months of 2012-13, a rise of 21.9%. However, attendances during March 2013 are likely to add another 2m to the 2012-13 total, pushing up the tally for the year to around 24m. | Meanwhile, the number of patients going to A&E units is soaring, driven by a big rise in the number of older people needing care, NHS statistics have revealed. Total attendances at hospital A&E units in England have climbed every year for the past eight years, from 17.8m in 2004-05 to 21.7m in the first 11 months of 2012-13, a rise of 21.9%. However, attendances during March 2013 are likely to add another 2m to the 2012-13 total, pushing up the tally for the year to around 24m. |
| Figures released by the NHS's health and social care information centre depict a relentless rise in A&E attendances, but with a notably large jump occurring between 2011-12 (21.4m) and 2012-13 (21.7m after 11 months). These figures cast doubt on health secretary Jeremy Hunt's claim that the rise in A&E attendances was due to Labour's "historic mistake" in 2004 to let GPs no longer take responsibility for providing out-of-hours care. | Figures released by the NHS's health and social care information centre depict a relentless rise in A&E attendances, but with a notably large jump occurring between 2011-12 (21.4m) and 2012-13 (21.7m after 11 months). These figures cast doubt on health secretary Jeremy Hunt's claim that the rise in A&E attendances was due to Labour's "historic mistake" in 2004 to let GPs no longer take responsibility for providing out-of-hours care. |
| • This article was amended on 21 June 2013, to remove the following sentence: "In 1995 patients visited their GP an average of 3.9 times a year; that has risen to 5.5 times." While research carried out for the NHS on consultation rates in general practice showed that the average patient had 3.9 consultations per year in 1995-96, rising to 5.5 per year by 2008-09, most of the increase was accounted for by a steep rise in the number of consultations with nurses; the consultation rate for GPs increased from 3.0 to 3.4, for nurses from 0.8 to 1.9, and for other clinicians from 0.1 to 0.2. | • This article was amended on 21 June 2013, to remove the following sentence: "In 1995 patients visited their GP an average of 3.9 times a year; that has risen to 5.5 times." While research carried out for the NHS on consultation rates in general practice showed that the average patient had 3.9 consultations per year in 1995-96, rising to 5.5 per year by 2008-09, most of the increase was accounted for by a steep rise in the number of consultations with nurses; the consultation rate for GPs increased from 3.0 to 3.4, for nurses from 0.8 to 1.9, and for other clinicians from 0.1 to 0.2. |
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