Three in four UK GPs are too busy to speak with patients in depth, report finds
Three in four GPs are now too busy to talk to patients about lifestyle changes that could drastically slash their risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes, an ‘alarming’ report has revealed.
A survey carried out by the Royal College of GPs (RCGP) found that primary care physicians do not have enough time to offer preventive healthcare, with ten-minute appointment slots meaning they also miss opportunities to review existing medications.
It comes amid negotiations with ministers over several grievances, including workload and funding.
The review adds to concerns that the Government’s drive for the NHS to do more to prevent people from getting ill in the first place is ‘meaningless’, if GPs are not given enough time to provide holistic care.
‘General practice is dealing with enormous demand, so in a busy consultation we inevitably have to prioritise the problems that most need our attention that day,’ said Professor Victoria Brown, the college’s president.
‘We will always act on symptoms or findings that need investigation or treatment.
‘What can be squeezed out is the time to step back and look more holistically at how we can help that patient stay well in the long term.’
This could see patients who would massively benefit from stopping smoking – the leading cause of lung cancer – miss out on discussions about what support or treatment might work best for them, she added, increasing the likelihood of relapse.
Three in four UK GPs say they are ‘too busy to talk to their patients in depth’
More than 70 per cent of lung cancer cases in the UK are thought to be caused by smoking – with the habit raising the risk of death 15-fold.
‘It is often the depth of those conversations, rather than simply identifying a risk and giving brief advice, that requires time,’ said Professor Brown.
The findings come after contractual changes introduced earlier this year made it compulsory for GP practices to offer same-day appointments for ‘urgent’ health needs.
At the time, the doctors’ union said the move would likely be presented as a ‘major win’ for the patient, while leaving GPs struggling to meet demand.
The RCGP has already called on ministers to recruit more GPs, rather than simply increasing the working hours of existing family doctors, in order to fulfil the shift ‘from sickness to prevention’.
‘If the government is serious on prevention, then more action is needed to support and enable GPs to consistently catch conditions and ill-health early, keeping people healthier for longer, and reducing pressures on wider NHS services down the line,’ said Sarah Woolnough, the chief executive of the King’s Fund.
The British Medical Association (BMA) has previously stated that 20 is the maximum number of patients a GP can see safely in one day.
But as it stands, GPs are seeing an average of 31 patients a day – with some seeing as many as 37.
The BMA has threatened to restrict appointments to no more than 20 a day if the Government fails to meet its demands.
Earlier this year, the Government set out plans to ‘fix the front door to the NHS’, earmarking £300million to increase the working hours of existing GPs and recruit more doctors.
A spokesman from the Department of Health and Social Care told The Guardian: ‘GPs play a vital role in our National Health Service, which is exactly why we’ve placed them at the heart of our 10-year plan.
‘We know there is more to do and we will continue to work with the RCGP as we rebuild and modernise the NHS.
‘We are already making progress, with record numbers of appointments being delivers, and 77 per cent of patients now saying they have a good local GP service.’
