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The workforce crisis is real, urgent and not helped by Jeremy Hunt's continued undermining of our clinical skills and professionalism.
Our most experienced cohort of GPs in their 50s, whose generalist training and long hours working culture pre-dated the European Working Time Directive, are opting for early retirement in high numbers.
Almost 500 GP training posts are unfilled nationally. The relentless negative press and the gap between patient expectations and primary healthcare resources (40 million more GP consultations; 3% less of the budget since 2008) are compounded by fragmented healthcare services , over complicated by outsourcing vital healthcare to any willing provider.
We provide the cheapest healthcare of the highest standard according to the latest commonwealth report and the key difference between our health economy and others is the gatekeeper role of highly trained GPs alongside a non-insurance based, not-for -profit system. I question Mr Hunt's core values in his steer of the NHS. On the coalface, it feels as though the NHS is being broken up, bit by bit, up for sale and ready for asset stripping whilst the professionalism and dedication of the GP workforce is constantly undermined.
Competing interests:
No competing interests
04 July 2014
Caroline A Mitchell
GP and Senior Clinical Lecturer University of Sheffield
Re: Primary care urgently needs resources to take on more care of chronic illness, say MPs
The workforce crisis is real, urgent and not helped by Jeremy Hunt's continued undermining of our clinical skills and professionalism.
Our most experienced cohort of GPs in their 50s, whose generalist training and long hours working culture pre-dated the European Working Time Directive, are opting for early retirement in high numbers.
Almost 500 GP training posts are unfilled nationally. The relentless negative press and the gap between patient expectations and primary healthcare resources (40 million more GP consultations; 3% less of the budget since 2008) are compounded by fragmented healthcare services , over complicated by outsourcing vital healthcare to any willing provider.
We provide the cheapest healthcare of the highest standard according to the latest commonwealth report and the key difference between our health economy and others is the gatekeeper role of highly trained GPs alongside a non-insurance based, not-for -profit system. I question Mr Hunt's core values in his steer of the NHS. On the coalface, it feels as though the NHS is being broken up, bit by bit, up for sale and ready for asset stripping whilst the professionalism and dedication of the GP workforce is constantly undermined.
Competing interests: No competing interests