16 May 2014

RCGP Supports BMA Campaign Your GP Cares

Dr Maureen Baker, Chair of the Royal College of GPs, said:

“General practice is the cornerstone of the NHS but it is teetering on the brink of collapse as the number of patient consultations soars to an all-time high while funding for general practice has dropped to an historic low. 

“GPs are seeing between 40 and 60 patients in a day and there are now 40m more patients a year in general practice than there were five years ago, yet funding has plummeted. GPs conduct 90% of NHS patient contacts for just 8.39% of the total NHS budget.

“GPs and their teams are doing their best for patients but we cannot keep on doing more and more for less.

“The BMA’s ‘Your GP Cares’ campaign complements the College’s own Put patients first: Back general practice campaign and we are pleased that the BMA is joining us to highlight the very real pressures facing our profession – and the risks to our patients - and to call on decision makers to take urgent action.

“We stand shoulder to shoulder with our BMA colleagues to fight this growing chasm between funding and workload. We hope that by working together, we will ensure that general practice receives the resources it needs to keep the NHS sustainable and deliver the care that our patients need and deserve.”

Further Information

RCGP Press office - 020 3188 7574/7575/7576
Out of hours: 0203 188 7659
press@rcgp.org.uk

 

Notes

The Royal College of General Practitioners is a network of more than 49,000 family doctors working to improve care for patients. We work to encourage and maintain the highest standards of general medical practice and act as the voice of GPs on education, training, research and clinical standards.