Family Doctors Cry Out for Help as England Faces 'Dangerous' Doctor Shortage
Britain's top family doctor, Prof Kamila Hawthorne, is sounding the alarm about a "dangerous" shortage of medics in England, warning that patients are at risk of receiving inadequate care. With more than 8,000 GPs signing a letter to Health Secretary Wes Streeting, demanding urgent action to address the crisis, Hawthorne is calling on the government to provide core funding to recruit and retain more doctors.
The pressure is mounting as exhausted family doctors work "completely unsafe hours" due to lack of staff. With record demand for care and an ageing population with increasingly complex conditions, surgeries are struggling to cope. The result is "unsustainable workloads" and compromised patient safety.
The number of patients per GP is rising alarmingly, with an average of 2,241 patients now being cared for by a single full-time GP, up from 1,937 in 2015. However, this increase has been accompanied by a lack of funding, which Hawthorne claims is preventing practices from hiring more doctors.
A recent survey found that 61% of GP practice managers need to hire at least another GP within the next 12 months to cope with patient demand, but an astonishing 92% cited a lack of core funding as the main obstacle. One anonymous practice manager described the situation as "nowhere near sustainable" and noted that they had people available to work, but no money to recruit.
The crisis has reached boiling point, with patients facing long waits for appointments and GPs struggling to keep up with the growing demand. Hawthorne warned that if something is not done soon, patient safety will be at risk.
In a brazen move, grassroots GPs have passed a motion refusing to comply with new online access requirements for surgeries, condemning them as "a cynical political stunt" that is "unfunded, unsafe and knowingly undeliverable in the context of current workforce collapse".
As tensions between doctors and the government escalate, Hawthorne is pushing for concrete action from Streeting. She urged him to provide a clear roadmap out of this crisis, including numbers on how many more GPs will be recruited over the next decade.
The Department of Health and Social Care has responded by claiming that they have recruited 2,500 GPs, scrapped half of GP targets to reduce red tape, and provided an extra £1.1bn in funding. However, Hawthorne disputes this, saying that the rise in national insurance contributions has effectively "blunted" the impact of this additional funding.
With the NHS facing an unprecedented crisis, it's clear that something must be done soon to address this shortage of doctors. If not, patients will continue to suffer from inadequate care, and the very fabric of the healthcare system will begin to unravel.
Britain's top family doctor, Prof Kamila Hawthorne, is sounding the alarm about a "dangerous" shortage of medics in England, warning that patients are at risk of receiving inadequate care. With more than 8,000 GPs signing a letter to Health Secretary Wes Streeting, demanding urgent action to address the crisis, Hawthorne is calling on the government to provide core funding to recruit and retain more doctors.
The pressure is mounting as exhausted family doctors work "completely unsafe hours" due to lack of staff. With record demand for care and an ageing population with increasingly complex conditions, surgeries are struggling to cope. The result is "unsustainable workloads" and compromised patient safety.
The number of patients per GP is rising alarmingly, with an average of 2,241 patients now being cared for by a single full-time GP, up from 1,937 in 2015. However, this increase has been accompanied by a lack of funding, which Hawthorne claims is preventing practices from hiring more doctors.
A recent survey found that 61% of GP practice managers need to hire at least another GP within the next 12 months to cope with patient demand, but an astonishing 92% cited a lack of core funding as the main obstacle. One anonymous practice manager described the situation as "nowhere near sustainable" and noted that they had people available to work, but no money to recruit.
The crisis has reached boiling point, with patients facing long waits for appointments and GPs struggling to keep up with the growing demand. Hawthorne warned that if something is not done soon, patient safety will be at risk.
In a brazen move, grassroots GPs have passed a motion refusing to comply with new online access requirements for surgeries, condemning them as "a cynical political stunt" that is "unfunded, unsafe and knowingly undeliverable in the context of current workforce collapse".
As tensions between doctors and the government escalate, Hawthorne is pushing for concrete action from Streeting. She urged him to provide a clear roadmap out of this crisis, including numbers on how many more GPs will be recruited over the next decade.
The Department of Health and Social Care has responded by claiming that they have recruited 2,500 GPs, scrapped half of GP targets to reduce red tape, and provided an extra £1.1bn in funding. However, Hawthorne disputes this, saying that the rise in national insurance contributions has effectively "blunted" the impact of this additional funding.
With the NHS facing an unprecedented crisis, it's clear that something must be done soon to address this shortage of doctors. If not, patients will continue to suffer from inadequate care, and the very fabric of the healthcare system will begin to unravel.
. The idea that there are more than 8k GPs signing a letter because they can't take it anymore is just heartbreaking 
. I mean, we're already dealing with long waits and whatnot, but now we've got doctors who literally can't cope due to lack of funding 
. It's time for the government to sort this out ASAP 
! We need concrete action, not just empty promises 
. And seriously, 2k patients per GP? That's just crazy 
. Can't our politicians see that this is a matter of public health, not just politics 
? Something needs to change, and fast 
.
. I mean, 8,000 GPs signing a letter is a big deal, right? It's not just about the numbers, it's about the human side of things – exhausted doctors working crazy hours because they can't afford to hire more staff. And let's be real, the government's response hasn't exactly been inspiring 
. The extra £1.1bn might look good on paper, but if that cash is just going to get absorbed by national insurance contributions, then what's the point? I think Hawthorne has a point when she says patient safety is at risk 
. Maybe instead of trying to sweet-talk us with fancy PR spin, they should be having an honest conversation about why we can't afford more doctors 
doctors are literally crying out for help and no one is listening 
they're working crazy hours just to cope with the demand and its not sustainable at all 
we need to prioritize patient safety over politics 
these numbers are insane 2,241 patients per gp is a nightmare 
something needs to be done now or else were gonna see a collapse of the nhs 
I'm so worried about our NHS right now 
but we need action NOW 
! Prof Kamila Hawthorne is crying out for help & it's high time the government listened 
. Patients are paying the price with long waits & compromised care 
. We need concrete action, not just empty promises 
️
Hawthorne is right, the NHS is literally on its knees and if we don't do something ASAP, patients will suffer 
the doc shortage is getting outta hand in england...i mean, who expects 2k+ patients per gp? it's like they're trying to cram too much into already overburdened systems 
we need concrete action, like a clear plan to recruit and retain doctors, ASAP! 
It's time for some real leadership, not just empty promises and PR stunts. 
. I can only imagine how stressed and exhausted the doctors must be working such crazy hours. It's not just about them, though - it's about us, the patients who are going to suffer from subpar care if something doesn't change soon 
. That's just unsustainable! 
We need more funding ASAP 
, but Hawthorne isn't having it 
.
. The NHS is literally crying out for help, and we need to listen 
. Something's gotta be done soon or else... I don't even want to think about it 
.
. And Hawthorne calling them a "cynical political stunt"? 
and provides some real solutions 
. We can't keep living in a world where patients are suffering due to a shortage of doctors 
.
. 2,241 patients per GP is just crazy! 
I've had my own share of bad experiences with waiting times, and it's frustrating when you can't get an appointment on time. It's not that they're not trying, it's just the system is breaking down 
. We need to step up and support our family docs in any way we can - whether it's by being more understanding of their workload or actually lobbying for change 
. The thought of patient safety being compromised is just devastating 
.
. We need to support our healthcare workers and provide them with the funding they deserve 
. Something needs to be done ASAP, or else!