17 Aug 2013 00:33

Family doctors have warned GP care in England is at “breaking point” and have called for an emergency cash injection.

Four in five GPs said they had “insufficient resources” to provide high quality patient care and 47% admitted they had cut back on the range of services they provide for patients.

And 70% of doctors said they expected patient waiting times to increase, according to a poll conducted by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP).

The RCGP said general practice was at “breaking point” and called for the government to pump in emergency funds similar to the £500 million bailout given to A&E departments last week.

Clare Gerada, chairwoman of the RCGP, said: “The results of our survey paint a bleak picture for patients, the profession and the future of general practice.

"GPs are grappling with a double whammy of spiralling workloads and dwindling resources, and big cracks are now starting to appear in the care and services that we can deliver for our patients.

“We are particularly concerned about the effect this is having, and will continue to have, on waiting times for GP appointments.

"We fully understand that patients are already frustrated - and GPs are doing their best to improve access to appointments - but the profession is now at breaking point and we do not have the capacity to take on any more work without the extra funding and resources to back it up.”

She added: “Once general practice starts to crumble, the entire NHS will follow with disastrous consequences for our patients.

“Last week the English Government announced an additional £500 million for A&E departments.

"What we need is our fair share of funding so that GPs can do more for our patients in their communities.”

Ben Dyson of NHS England, said: “We fully recognise that demands and patterns of healthcare are changing, and that this is increasing pressure on parts of the NHS.

“That’s why we have recently published a ‘call to action’ about the future of general practice to help stimulate new, innovative approaches to providing services and ensuring every patient gets the care they need.

“Our key aim is to enable GP practices both to provide more coordinated care for people with more complex needs and to provide more accessible and responsive service, in conjunction with partners in community and social care.”