A letter to our patients regarding GP strike action

A letter to our patients 

You may have seen the recent news regarding the unprecedented industrial action being taken by General Practice. 

Why is this happening? 

General Practice is struggling. Across England it is becoming increasingly difficult to get an appointment, see the doctor of your choice or access care local to your home. GPs are taking on more work from the hospital alongside managing a growing, aging population with more complex health problems, all on a background of chronic underfunding from the government. In some parts of the country GPs are unable to pay their staff, their rent, their bills, resulting in some surgeries having to close their doors.

The NHS has lost the equivalent of 1694 full time GPs since 2015. A single full-time GP is now responsible for an average of 2,291 patients. This is 354 more than in September 2015. GPs are retiring early, leaving the profession or switching to part time working due to the ever increasing pressures. Those of us who are left are finding it increasingly difficult to maintain the high standard of care we pride ourselves on.

Currently General Practice only receives 6% of the NHS budget. This is just 30p per patient per day, less than the cost of an apple. We believe General Practice deserves a bigger slice of NHS funding so that we can train, recruit and retain more GPs, deliver the services you need and make it easier for you and your loved ones to get appointments to see your GP. 

What is going to happen here? 

To offer the best level of care for our patients, we feel we need to support the current strike action,

however, we will NOT be undertaking any action that will have a negative impact on your care, including limiting your access to us. 

The BMA have recommended GPs “work to rule” as part of the strike action. This means only seeing the recommended safe number of 25 patients each day. We have elected NOT to undertake this action. Currently each GP in the practice has around 25 patient contacts every morning, therefore imposing this rule would mean that we would reach this limit by lunchtime. This would have a significant impact on our ability to provide the high standard of care you associate with Dolphin House. 

Instead, the action we have chosen to undertake will instead put pressure on NHS England to address the issues with GP funding. You can read more about this on the BMA website (GPs Are On your Side (bma.org.uk))

How can you help us? 

 We hope we can count on your support to help save general practice and return things to how they once were; a familiar family doctor, offering continuity of care in a surgery close to your home.  

· Spread the word, let friends and family know what is happening 

· Challenge the negativity GPs receive in the media and the community 

General Practice has been broken. Help us fix it. GPs are on your side. 

Dr Ruth Morgan, Dr Fingal O’Reilly, Dr Laura King, Dr Camellia Arul, Dr Giovanni D’Uva, Dr Laura Wills, Mrs Jill O’Brien

The Partners at Dolphin House Surgery