The Medway Labour and Co-operative Group have welcomed the draft report from the GP Task Group that was set up last year. Labour councillors fought for the creation of this Task Group and are grateful to all of the professionals who shared their limited time with us, as well as council officers who worked hard to arrange meetings and bring the report together.
The report has revealed how demand for GP appointments has risen, and lays bare the challenges faced by primary care. These challenges include a recruitment crisis, Coronavirus, flu infections and a crisis in social care where under-paid home care staff are leaving in their droves, and residential and nursing places being hard to come by due to the rising cost-of-living.
Cllr Teresa Murray, Deputy Leader and Health Spokesperson for the Medway Labour and Co-operative Group said:
“Despite the very real and present struggles faced by primary care staff of all grades, we heard from patients and professionals who understand how austerity cuts have made things very tough right across the NHS. Despite these challenges, they remain determined to make the innovative solutions they shared with us to improve GP services.
“The biggest issue for Medway is disparity across the GP practices, some are doing very well as they have invested in technology, training and staff so that patients have access to a range of allied health professionals and not just GPs.
“Other surgeries are struggling to get out of special measures after poor CQC inspections and are not yet offering more modernised services. There are plans in place to share good practice and the surgeries have formed Primary care networks (PCNs) to help each other.
“One of the most startling things we heard is that 85% of problems presented at GP appointments are socially derived. This means that many people are unwell because of poor housing, poverty, lack of opportunity and social support. We will be insisting the Council strengthen their role to support GPs and form partnerships to tackle this damaging deprivation.”
Cllr Adam Price, Medway Labour and Co-operative Group Member for Gillingham North said:
“Some Tory councillors did not want the GP task group yet everyone we spoke to told us they valued the opportunity to share issues and explore solutions to the problems. We will be pressing the Cabinet of Medway Council to support the report and act on the recommendations.”
Notes
The latest statistics on GP waiting times can be found here – https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19axM5tbdU66hhlFJYC5YzELE-Mn0K83l/edit#gid=422966001
In some Medway surgeries, over 20% of people have to wait over 28 days to receive an appointment.