GP practices 'imploding' says top doc

DR KAILASH CHAND

A LOCAL doctors' leader has warned that imploding GP services could finish off the NHS.

Dr Kailash Chand has raised the plight of under-resourced, over-stretched GPs, calling on residents to fight for the survival of the NHS.

The former Oldham doctors' representative who was last month named honorary vice-president of the British Medical Association (BMA), said the workforce crisis is being ignored by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt.

Dr Chand, a GP for more than 30 years, said: "The general practice is not in crisis, it is imploding - in Oldham, in the North West, everywhere.

"The real problem is demand is going through the roof, but we do not have the resources, funding or manpower."

He added: "The failure to acknowledge the crisis facing GP services, an under-resourced, over-stretched shell of their former self, struggling to keep pace with patient demand despite the efforts of their staff, could finish off the general practice, 'the jewel in the crown of the NHS', in the next few years for good."

Dr Chand highlighted the closure of one in 20 GP practices since 2010, leaving 8,000 in England.

The number of GP surgeries seeking advice from senior NHS managers on closing their doors or merging with nearby practices has also risenfive-fold.

Dr Chand said Hunt's 2014 promise of 5,000 new GPs ignored the fact that medical graduates are being put off joining because of the pressures.

About 85 per cent of doctors have experienced mental health issues, including stress, anxiety and low self-esteem, according to the Medical Protection Society.

Dr Chand said: "A total of 90 per cent of the Oldham residents' healthcare is provided by a GP, and yet we are letting it slip and suffer."

The former Ashton GP criticised the government's and NHS England's requests for GP practices to provide more services without the resources required to deliver them effectively.

In 10 years the amount of NHS budget allocated to general practice has fallen from 11 per cent to 8.5 per cent currently.

He said: "A combined financial and staffing crisis could cause chaos in primary care for years and ultimately kill off general practice for good."