03/10/2013

Royal College Warns Of GP System 'Catastrophe'

Funding cuts could create a "catastrophe" in the GP system in England the Royal College of GPs has warned.

The Royal College has analysed investments in general practice's over the last three years and found a fall of some £400 million, the equivalent of 7% per patient.

The doctors' leaders say that this has resulted in GPs doing more work with fewer resources, ultimately damaging services for patients.

The warning from the royal college comes in the same week as the government announced plans to extend GP working hours, calling for patients to be able to access surgeries in the evenings and on weekends.

The government has also said that it is making provisions for new funding for under-pressure GPs.

The royal college however, say that their analyses, using official data from the Health and Social Care Information Centre, shows that government has continued to take money away from GP surgeries.

(MH/CD)

Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

25 November 2003
Royal Colleges urge smoking ban in public
A group of leading surgeons and medical experts have called for a nationwide ban on smoking in public places, in a letter sent to the Times Newspaper. The UK’s medical Royal Colleges and their Faculties stated in the letter that "the time has come for legislation to make public places smoke free".
03 February 2012
Royal College Of GPs Urge Scrapping Of Bill
The Royal College of GPs has joined the chorus of health professionals calling for the Government's controversial health bill to be scrapped. The college, which represents 34,000 GPs in England, said the overhaul had to be stopped because it threatened to cause "irreparable damage" to care.
22 September 2008
Cancer Patient Dies After Medical Trial
A cancer patient has died after being given an overdose during a drugs trial at the university College London Hospital (UCLH), an inquest has heard. Gary Foster, 27, was repeatedly given twice the amount of chemotherapy drugs he should have been prescribed, the hospital said.
21 February 2008
Afghanistan Death Confirmed
It has been confirmed that a soldier from 40 Commando Royal Marines has been killed in an explosion in Afghanistan. It happened on Wednesday, with one other marine also injured in the incident, and since described as "walking wounded".
07 November 2003
Prince Charles dismisses 'entirely untrue' allegations
Prince Charles has issued a statement describing as "entirely untrue" allegations from a former royal aide that had been due to appear in last week's Mail on Sunday.