NHS England’s director for primary care Dr Amanda Doyle on the Government’s decisions to include GPs in the additional roles reimbursement scheme and to accept the DDRB’s recommendation for a 6% pay uplift for all practice staff
General practice has been under huge pressure in recent years, and I know that all of you will have experienced this directly.
I have seen and heard first-hand how difficult it is, whether it is receptionists being abused by patients, or doctors at risk of burnout, and I know, having worked as a GP for many years, that the most important thing professionals want is to feel they are able to provide good care for their patients.
Every week half a million more GP appointments are being delivered compared to before the pandemic and resources have not kept pace with this increase in demand.
This demand for GP services will continue to grow– and it will only increase with an ageing population – with the number of people in England aged 70 or over up around a third since 2010. And we know that this age group needs on average five times more GP appointments than young people.
I also recognise that while there has been significant additional investment in general practice since 2019, this has largely been for additional staff to deliver benefits for patients at network level rather than to increase core capacity.
So, we must find a long-term and robust solution to increasing capacity, to boost our GP teams and make sure that patients have better access to their local practice.
This can only be done by listening to the profession and, working together with Government, we have made some important first steps to delivering the change that GP teams need to see.
Firstly, on pay, the Government earlier this week accepted the DDRB pay recommendations to deliver a 6% increase in pay – the first meaningful increase for several years and three times what the profession was offered when the ballot for collective action was called.
And as an emergency measure to boost GP employment, I am delighted that the ARRS scheme will now include GPs so you can recruit more GPs to support your practices. This was the single biggest ask that we heard from GPs over the last year, including the petition signed by thousands of practices and supported by the RCGP and the BMA GP Committee.
The Primary Care Network DES (Directed Enhanced Services) for this year will be reopened to make this new ring-fenced funding available to networks.
I understand that many would prefer that this funding was targeted at practices, but this approach will ensure that the additional funding will be ring fenced solely for employing additional GPs. I am committed to looking at ways to ensure these PCN roles are rewarding and provide the opportunity for continuity of practice as well the chance to experience a range of primary care.
Together, this will not solve every problem you and your practices face, but it is a strong start.
Most importantly it shows that the concerns of the profession will be central to any long-term plan for General Practice.
So, I would encourage GPs to see these two practical actions pave the way to a sustainable way forward.
I know that GPs would never intend to take action that would impact patients, but it is hard to see how this action will not have a detrimental effect.
We want to work with you to make General Practice fit for the future – for you and your hard-working teams and for our local communities who need our help every day.
Dr Amanda Doyle is national director for primary care and community services at NHS England
