Wednesday 29 June 2022 10:54 PM DAILY MAIL COMMENT: GP system is in dire need of intensive care trends now
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With the GP service already on its knees, a Health Foundation report predicts the situation may yet become much worse.
Unless radical action is taken, it suggests that in ten years a quarter of all medical posts at family surgeries could be unfilled – in its worst-case scenario that rises to half.
Thanks to our rising population, the average doctor to patient ratio has already soared to one per 2,200.
Thanks to our rising population, the average doctor to patient ratio has already soared to one per 2,200
The massive Covid backlog has put enormous pressure on face-to-face appointments, driving increasing numbers to hard-pressed A&E departments. And it's clear that recruitment and training of new GPs is falling dangerously behind demand.
It's time for a root-and-branch review of the primary care system, in which ministers, administrators and medics come together to formulate a blueprint for the future.
The GP surgery is the bedrock of the NHS. It is patients' first port of call and an essential gateway to wider treatment. Right now, it is in urgent need of intensive care.
Police must be open
After the shock revelation on Tuesday that the Metropolitan Police has been placed in special measures, we now discover that five other forces are also failing.
Two – Cleveland and Greater Manchester – were known about. The other three – Gloucestershire, Staffordshire and