One in three GP appointments require GPs, think-tank advises

According to a report by think-tank, Reform, only one in three people who schedule a GP appointment need to be seen by a doctor.

The study found that 50 per cent of patients that are seen by GPs could be seen by other clinical staff, and maintained that the move could allow practices to offer 20 minute appointments. The report also countered GP claims that a seven-day service was unnecessary, arguing that there was growing appetite for a seven-day offer.

Reform criticised the current model of general practice as ‘out of date’ and called for the introduction of bigger practices, which could help filter down ‘millions of unnecessary A&E visits’. It also concluded that the government’s pledge to increase the GP workforce by 2020 was ‘nothing more than a sticking plaster’.

Reform collected data from a roundtable held with 22 GPs and other stakeholders. Currently GPs take around two-thirds of the 372 million appointments which are booked at GP surgeries each year. The findings suggests at least half of such appointments could be taken on by other staff, including nurses, which could save over £700 million per year, and also GPs to offer 20 minute appointments.

The report said: “General practice is out of date. The model, built for 1948, must address the ever-more complex needs of a growing, ageing and more technologically sophisticated population. It cannot do so in its current state, which affects outcomes for patients and puts significant cost pressures on the system as a whole.”

Commenting on the findings, Alex Hitchcock, report co-author, said: “Employing 5,000 more GPs is nothing more than a sticking plaster for an out-of-date model. Bigger practices and new technology can deliver better access and stop millions of unnecessary A&E visits.”