The Government’s pledge to introduce a seven days a week GP service should be taken with a strong degree of caution.
Of course we would all like to see surgeries open seven days a week, but that means them being properly staffed. What’s concerning about the Health Secretary’s pledge is he makes no mention of how he will deliver it.
In Barnet and Camden we already have a GP crisis on our hands. Practices are overstretched and we have too few doctors available to deliver care to our aging and expanding population. Adding more duties to an already over-stretched workforce, without making it clear how this will be resourced, is not going to result in better care for patients.
The promise of round the clock GP services and the extra care it would provide is very attractive. However it just isn’t deliverable unless it’s matched by the funding necessary to recruit, support and retain hardworking GPs. Warm words from Government will not make the health service work.
