Increasingly the GP world in the UK is being referred to as one in crisis in recent years. Practices across the nation are seeing an estimated 80 additional patients per week due to "unsustainable" pressure fueled in part by immigration and by an ever increasing ageing UK population, a new study by The Lancet has shown.

To put this into context, on average, over the last 7 years, it is estimated that the GP workload has increased by some 16%, with some practices approaching 200 consultations daily. This is clearly putting a strain on services.

A new study, based on an analysis of over 100 million GP and nurse sessions at 400 general practices in England, found that the number of weekly consultations per practice had risen from 902 in 2007 to 984 in 2014.

This is clearly a considerable increase.

Professor Richard Hobbs, lead author at the Nuffield Department of Primary Care and Health Sciences at the University of Oxford stated:

 “For many years, doctors and nurses have reported increasing workloads, but for the first time, we are able to provide objective data that this is indeed the case”

“The demands on general practice have increased substantially over the past seven years. Recruitment of new GPs and nurses remains low while the population in England steadily increases.

Commenting on the study, Dr Maureen Baker, chairwoman of the Royal College of GPs, said: "This report should ring alarm bells for the Government and spur ministers into action to address the crisis in general practice before it’s too late.

"For too long GPs have been expected to do more and more for less and less and this perfect storm of rising demand, plummeting resources and not enough GPs can no longer be no longer be ignored.
 
Are you an over-worked GP? Is the situation getting better or worse?