P-04-600 Petition to Save General Practice
P-04-600 Petition to Save General Practice
Despite
carrying out 90% of all NHS patient contacts, general practice only receives
8.39% of the NHS budget in the UK — an historic low. By 2017, this is projected
to plunge to just 7.29%
As
a result, general practice is facing a growing crisis.
Due
to the sheer volume of GP workloads, in this year alone, patients will have to
wait longer than a week to see their GP on at least 27m occasions.
And,
according to a poll carried out in March, more than three fifths of the public
now believe that the number of patient consultations carried out by GPs — up to
60 per day — is threatening the level of patient care.
To
protect high quality services for all patients, I call on the First Minister to
increase the share of the NHS budget spent on general practice in Wales to 11%
by 2017.
This
shift in funding would enable general practice to deliver: Shorter waiting
times for appointments and more flexible opening hours
Longer
consultations, especially for people with long term conditions.
More
opportunity for patients to see a GP who knows them
Better care co-ordination and planning, especially
for the elderly and those with complex needs
Positive
benefits for the NHS as a whole, reducing pressure on hospitals
GP
surgeries sit at the heart of local communities. I demand that the Welsh
Government acts now to ensure practices have the resources they need to
continue to provide the high quality care patients deserve.
Petitioner: Royal College of General Practitioners.
Lead petitioner: Eurwen Petitti Eurwen.
First Consideration: 7
October 2014
Signatures:15,000
paper signatures and over 500 electronic signatures collected on an alternative
e-petition website.
Business type: Petition
Reason considered: Senedd Business;
Status: For consideration
First published: 24/09/2014