Patients in the UK are finding it increasingly hard to see their GPs, with warnings that pandemic restrictions have too often “closed the door” on National Health Service treatment, The Daily Telegraph reports. At the same time, a British Medical Association survey shows that more than a third of UK doctors are contemplating retiring early over the next year.
The Patientsʼ Association survey comes as an investigation reveals that almost 100 GP surgeries closed down or merged with other practices last year. In total, almost 2.5m patients were forced to switch to a new surgery because of 788 such closures since 2013, the freedom of information disclosures reveal.
The report said: “It is increasingly clear that many patients have found that new methods for arranging appointments do not work for them, or simply that they do not understand how to go about it. GPs are the front door to the NHS, and patients are increasingly perceiving that that door is closed to them.”
Roughly half of those who had telephone consultations said the experience was worse than a traditional appointment, with three times as many saying they were unhappy about their experience, compared with those offering praise.
The report warns: “The data does not show a ringing endorsement of new or remote methods for accessing NHS care; indeed, in most cases patients rated these methods worse than traditional contact.”
Across all NHS services, two thirds of patients had struggled to access care, with almost as many seeing appointments cancelled or postponed.
Ms Power said: “The results show much that is worrying. Access to GP services continues to be a struggle for many patients, and there is clear dissatisfaction among many with the nature of remote consultations by phone or other means. “As a result, we are calling for face-to-face appointments to be restored as the default form of GP appointment, with remote consultations available as an option for those who prefer them.”
The polling last year was completed by 953 people, while the survey this year had 453 responses.
Meanwhile an investigation by Pulse magazine for GPs reveals that 96 practices closed or merged with other practices last year, in findings which doctors described as “shocking”.
GP practice closures have totalled almost 800 in the past eight years, forcing an estimated 2.5 million UK patients to move, a Pulse investigation reveals. It follows another year of large numbers of practices shutting, with 96 closing their doors in 2020, mostly in England.
But NHS England said practice closures had ‘stabilised’ in 2020 and that additional NHS funding and the support of primary care networks had helped.
In 2013, when Pulse first started looking at the issue, just 18 practices shut their doors. From then until 2020 a total of 778 surgeries have closed, meaning an estimated 2,494,700 patients have had to attend a different practice.
Pulse also cites a British Medical Association survey that show more than a third of UK GPs are contemplating early retirement in the course of the next year.
Asked by the BMA about their plans for the next year:
36% (524) of 1,457 GP respondents across the UK said they were considering taking early retirement
More than half (51%) added that they were now more likely to reduce their hours.
Around a fifth (21.5%) said they were thinking of leaving the NHS for another career, while 22% said they were considering a ‘career break’.
More than half (55%) of the GPs responding to the survey said workload was one of the factors that ‘best explains’ their reasons for changing their career plans and 45% cited their personal wellbeing.
And almost seven in 10 GPs (68%) are ‘not at all’ or ‘not very’ confident that their practice can manage patient demand as normal NHS services are resumed.
In numbers: How Covid impacted NHS treatment in 2020
3 million people in the UK missed cancer screenings as a result of coronavirus
2 million patients waited more than 18 weeks for routine hospital treatment
1 in 10 mental health patients has been waiting six months for help
50 per cent drop in heart attack A&E attendances
38 per cent drop in emergency heart surgery in London in the second half of March, due to worried patients
49.6 per cent of Britons reported high levels of anxiety
35 per cent of carers provided more care as a result of local services reducing or closing
Sources: Cancer Research UK, NHS England, Royal College of Psychiatrists, British Heart Foundation, Office of National Statistics, Carers UK
Full report in The Daily Telegraph (Restricted access)
The Patients’ Association Survey
Full Pulse article on GP practice closures (Open Access)
Full Pulse article on BMA survey (Open Access)
More than a third of GPs considering early retirement within a year, BMA reveals