The chair of the British Medical Association's general practice committee in England has issued a robust defence of family doctors, arguing they are not to blame for the rising number of people attending Accident & Emergency departments for minor complaints.
GP Productivity Hits Record Highs Amid Unprecedented Pressure
Dr Katie Bramall of the BMA pointed to record productivity within general practice as evidence. She stated that 250,000 additional GP practice appointments are being delivered each day compared to 2019 levels, despite unsustainable pressures on the service.
The core issue, according to Dr Bramall, is not a lack of GP capacity but a systemic bottleneck caused by a significant fall in the number of available inpatient beds. This shortage, she argues, is what truly 'gums up' the A&E system, preventing the efficient flow of patients who need admission.
A Call for Public Responsibility and Realistic Funding
Echoing this sentiment in a separate letter, retired NHS worker Jennifer Renshaw from St Neots, Cambridgeshire, issued a stark challenge to the public. "It is time the public stopped blaming the government, lack of funding or the medical staff and took a long hard look in the mirror," she wrote.
Renshaw, born in 1948, questioned why society has become so reliant on professional medical care for minor ailments, lamenting the millions of unnecessary appointments that burden the system.
The Stark Numbers Behind the GP Shortage
Dr Bramall provided concrete figures to illustrate the staffing crisis in general practice. She revealed that England is still 750 GPs short of where it stood a decade ago. Despite this, she noted there are currently thousands of qualified GPs across the country seeking NHS work.
The financial constraints are severe, with practices receiving only 34p per patient per day to cover all costs. Dr Bramall also highlighted a striking calculation: just 65 more GPs could have delivered the 1.9 million A&E appointments for headaches cited in recent reports over the past five years.
She expressed scepticism about the government's proposed 'neighbourhood' model of care, warning that without a substantial increase in both GP numbers and core funding, patients will not see any meaningful improvement in access or service.
