Campaign Reply - RCGP General Election Manifesto

I would like to pay tribute to all GPs for their work in caring for patients across the country as we have emerged from the pandemic.  Please be assured that I share the RCGP’s desire to strengthen general practice and provide the best conditions for GPs to support patients. 

The Government has prioritised the recovery of primary care services over the last few years, but I know there is more progress to be made. At least £1.5 billion is being invested to create an additional 50 million general practice appointments by 2024 by increasing and diversifying the workforce. As part of the Delivery Plan for Recovering Access to Primary Care, up to £645 million will be provided over two years to expand the services offered by community pharmacies (subject to consultation), helping to take the pressure off GPs and providing patients with more options for care.

Of course, we need to ensure that there are enough GPs to deliver patient care in the future.  The Government remains committed to growing the GP workforce and number of doctors in general practice as soon as possible.  There were over 2,000 more full-time equivalent doctors working in general practice (including trainees) in June 2023 compared to June 2019.  

Looking ahead to the future, the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan – backed by the Government – set out an ambition to increase GP training places to 6,000 by 2031. It is also important that we do more to recruit more GPs in areas of greater disadvantage, and the NHSE Targeted Enhanced Recruitment Scheme is providing 800 places available for GP trainees committed to working for three years in areas identified as having the hardest to recruit to training places in England.

I fully appreciate the challenges around workload in general practice, and the NHS is running several schemes to help retain and keep more GPs. This includes the National GP Retention Scheme, which offers financial and educational support to help doctors who might otherwise leave the profession remain in clinical general practice.  The Government is also committed to cutting unnecessary burdens on GPs through the Bureaucracy Busting Concordat (published in August 2022), and streamlining the Investment and Impact Fund indicators from 36 to 5 from 2023/24.

Changes have also been made to free up GPs’ time for appointments, including expanding the range of healthcare professionals who can sign fit notes and provide medical evidence to the DVLA.

General Practice is central to meeting the healthcare needs of local communities, and needs to be given priority when new housing development takes place. I am pleased that the Government will be consulting planning guidance to raise the priority of primary care, and will be supporting the development of a new standardised design for primary care buildings, providing modern facilities that create a positive working environment for staff and patients and use modern construction methods.