Under new government proposals to upgrade outdated phone and online registration systems, patients will be able to contact their GPs for an appointment more readily.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) announced that practises will receive £240 million this year in an effort to halt the “8am scramble” of patients calling their doctor’s office for an appointment window. The funds will be allocated to procedures to “embrace cutting-edge technology” and “ensure patients receive prompt care.”
Ministers refer to the new plans as a “overhaul of primary care” and have stated that patients will be informed on the same day as to how their request will be handled.
The training of more receptionists will be expanded so that they can evaluate the requirements of patients and expedite the appointment process. In addition, the government will finance 6,500 training positions for “care navigators,” the new designation for personnel conducting phone inquiries. They will refer patients to the appropriate physician or to other services, such as pharmacies.
He stated, “We are already making significant progress, with 10% more monthly GP appointments than before the pandemic. I want to ensure that individuals receive the appropriate assistance when they contact their general practise and halt the 8 a.m. appointment frenzy.
“To achieve this, we are enhancing technology, reducing bureaucracy, increasing personnel, and modifying the delivery of primary care services, which are all contributing to the government’s vow to reduce waiting lists.”
The announcement followed Rishi Sunak’s problematic local election results, in which the Conservatives lost approximately 960 seats. The reduction of NHS waiting lists was one of the Prime Minister’s five priorities, and he will be eager to demonstrate that he is meeting this objective.
He stated, “The Conservatives’ reduction of 2,000 GPs is the cause of the difficulty in obtaining a GP appointment. Better hold music will not alter this fact. Nothing in this announcement will train more physicians, enable patients to choose a face-to-face appointment, or reinstate the family doctor so that patients can see the same general practitioner each time.”
He added, “This superficial offer demonstrates that Rishi Sunak is completely out of touch with the issues facing patients and explains why he is unable to provide the change that people are pleading for. The government should adopt Labour’s proposal to train 7,500 additional physicians per year, paid for by eliminating the non-dom tax status, and make it easy for patients to schedule appointments with the doctor of their choice.”
Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chairwoman of the Royal College of General Practitioners, stated, “We await further details of the full access recovery plan, but the best way to improve access to GP care and address the intense workload and workforce pressures GP teams are facing is to increase the number of fully trained, full-time equivalent GPs through effective recruitment and retention schemes.
“Politicians believe that promising faster access will improve services and win them votes, but many practises are already struggling due to a shortage of general practitioners and other clinical staff.”