Response from the Medical Women’s Federation GP Forum to the Darzi report on the state of the NHS and the UK’s health. October 2024
The Medical Women's Federation is the largest organisation of women doctors and medical students in the UK [1]. 58% of GPs in the UK are women [2]. The MWF GP Forum notes the Darzi report and welcomes its honest recognition that the NHS needs to empower general practice, to revive its cornerstone role for patient care. We are willing to work positively with the government to achieve this.
Key actions are needed to improve the nation’s health and the NHS:
· Increase GP numbers so patients have ready access and continuity of care
Patients must be able to see a GP quickly, to book follow up appointments, to see the same GP and build up a relationship [3]. This relationship is crucial to our ability to treat conditions early and to prevent late presentations of advanced disease. Continuity of care has also been shown to be cost effective [4]. Signposting to another service is not the same as treatment. List sizes are currently far too big, and GPs are spread too thinly. Yet currently there are many unemployed GPs.
· Put GPs back at the centre of general practice; we are the most effective for medical care; other roles are supplements, not substitutes
GPs are trained to deal with undifferentiated problems, to recognise what is normal and needs no treatment, distinguish the minor ailment from the serious condition, to decide when hospital referral is necessary, and more than any other roles, to manage risk. GPs are the expert generalists, overseeing the whole patient perspective and managing multimorbidity and complex elderly patients.
· Bring the resources to the community: diagnostic tests, people who can deliver care and environments that promote health
The UK has worse cancer outcomes and is way behind the rest of Europe for access to X ray, CT, MRI, and ultrasound scans. We need to bring these diagnostic resources to the community, with direct access by GPs, and timely interpretation of results by a radiologist. Patients are waiting far too long for diagnostic tests and are presenting with advanced cancers. The resources we need in the community also include people who can deliver care, including social workers, social prescribers, health visitors (cut by a third [5]), district nurses (cut by a half [5]) and carers. Prevention really lies in community issues such as social connection, being able to be active (parks) and ability to buy healthy food. GPs are ideally placed to coordinate the team and resources.
- Dr Caroline Delves, MWF Representative on the BMA GP Committtee & Professor Scarlett McNally, MWF President
1. www.medicalwomensfederation.org.uk
2. https://gde.gmc-uk.org/the-register/register-summary/protected-characteristics
3. https://www.who.int/teams/integrated-health-services/clinical-services-and-systems/primary-care
