Primary care access plan means GP workload is likely to further increase

The limitations of the government’s plan for recovering access to primary care are identified by Baird.12 Pharmacy contributions are key, with £649m investment promised. But who will really benefit from this money?Overworked and burnt out GPs are at best lukewarm about the prospect of pharmacy led consultation schemes diverting 20% of their consultation work,345 perhaps recognising the complex relation of payment, capacity, and demand. At its simplest, redistributing services like vaccinations and contraception advice also redistributes associated payments that keep practices sustainable.There are also non-financial reasons for concern. Firstly, diverting simple conditions may result in case mix change. Some 50% of GP consultations take 10-15 minutes.6 But if the 16% of short (simple) consultations lasting under 5 minutes are diverted, those left to the GP are difficult, complex, and require more time. Secondly, the number of appointments demanded from GPs are likely to remain unchanged. Bojke et al showed that…
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