The rapidly declining continuity of care levels poses an “existential threat” to patient safety, the UK’s chief family doctor will warn today, as research reveals that only half of Britons visit the same doctor regularly.
Prof. Martin Marshall, President of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), will say that trusting relationships between GPs and patients are the most powerful intervention in providing effective, high-quality care, as they increase patient satisfaction and health outcomes. reduce the use of hospital services.
But in a keynote address at the college’s annual conference, Marshall will warn that continuity of care is becoming nearly impossible to deliver to the NHS amid growing demand and shrinking GPs, in what he would describe as “the most worrying crisis.” for decades. “
There are growing concerns about the NHS’s ability to cope with record waiting lists, with 6.5 million patients awaiting care in England alone. Earlier this month, Sajid Javid, the health minister, acknowledged that the current model of GP care was “not working”, but insisted there would be no more money for health services.
Marshall’s intervention comes after GPs in England threatened on Tuesday that they would take industrial action because of a contract that forced them to offer appointments in the evenings and on weekends.
The medics at the annual conference of the British Medical Association (BMA) in Brighton called on the leaders of the union to act in the indicative vote in 2021 and to “organize opposition” to the treaty, “including industrial action if necessary.” GPs are unlikely to stop providing emergency care, but may refuse to perform other routine work or reduce their working hours.
At the RCGP conference in London, Marshall will tell delegates that due to increasing workload and fewer staff, GPs no longer have time to properly assess patients, with 65% warning that safety has been compromised due to too short appointments, according to a recent poll commissioned. from college.
Only 39% of respondents said they had been able to provide continuity of care that their patients needed – less than 60% two years ago.
The results are supported by a separate study published today. A survey of 1 million NHS patients at Queen Mary University in London found that half (52%) visited the same doctor regularly, despite growing evidence of improved clinical outcomes. The study found that the patients who benefit most from visiting the same doctor are those with long-term health problems and people who visit the practice frequently.
However, Marshall will tell delegates that the current state of common practice in the UK is “not conducive” to “building relationships”, adding: “On average, three issues are presented in a 9.8-minute consultation – the second shortest consultation in the UK. Europe after Germany.
“At a time when the workload is increasing and the size of the GP’s workforce is declining, as in the UK, this may require a new design of the way we work, with a shift from GPs like all things to … everyone people to a more focused approach where we add value as members of a wider professional team – and continuity of care is one of those areas. ”
Marshall will suggest that continuity of care can still be provided, but perhaps not in the way it was before. “Continuity of care is a defining feature of family practice, but doctors should not have a monopoly on providing it,” he said, citing examples of good relationships with patients from more than one clinician, such as nurses or physiotherapists.
Meanwhile, Tony Blair today called on the UK health service to radically reform its way of working to stay viable, saying “the NHS is a service, not a religion”.
A new report from the former prime minister’s Institute for Global Change warns that the National Health Service is generally at risk of following the same path as dentistry, with patients unable to receive the care they need.
In his preface, Blair said that the fundamental principles of the service – to make it accessible to all, free at the point of use and financed by general taxation – must remain in place. However, the NHS, provided by Sir William Beveridge and Aneurin Bevan – a centrally controlled “one size fits all” service focused on how we treat sick people – no longer meets the requirements of today’s world.
“The way the NHS was created and organized should not and cannot be a matter of faith, but of practicality. As it is now, the NHS may not be the service we need now.
NHS ministers and bosses need to embrace technology and innovation as AI on a much larger scale, focus more on disease prevention and allow the 42 new “integrated care systems” – groups of NHS bodies that launch on Friday – freedom from central control to decide for themselves how best to provide health care in their area, the report said.
On Wednesday, ministers will outline plans for a huge increase in the number of patients who monitor their condition themselves and are treated at home in “virtual wards” in an attempt to ease the pressure on overcrowded hospitals.
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