By Richard Johnstone | 3 October 2013
Funding for GP services has fallen by £400m in real terms over four years, the Royal College of GPs revealed today. It warned this had left a ‘black hole’ in the finances of many practices.
The analysis of health spending by the RCGP found GPs received a funding cut in 2012/13, the third consecutive year of decline. In total, spending on general practice was down from £8,865m in 2009/10 to £8,459m in 2012/13, the latest year for which figures are available.
RCGP said that, even though the government has protected health spending in real terms, the amount of money going to hospitals was rising faster, leaving family doctors with a decreasing proportion of NHS resources.
The 7% cut over four years was despite more than 90% of patient contact in the NHS being carried out by GPs, RCGP chair Dr Clare Gerada said.
She warned that the cumulative effects of year-on-year decreases would be disastrous for patient care, and called on the government to make a major investment in general practice.
‘Our figures should send out a warning to government and the rest of the NHS that we will soon have a catastrophe on our hands if urgent action is not taken to reverse the decline in funding for general practice and provide GPs with an appropriate amount to spend on each patient every year,’ she added.
‘For years politicians, health professionals and patients alike have been saying that we must shift the centre of gravity of the health service away from hospitals, with more care delivered to patients closer to home, and a greater focus on prevention. But these figures show that we are in fact moving in the opposite direction.
‘GPs are keen to do more for their patients but we are heaving under the pressure of ever increasing workloads and diminishing resources, including a chronic shortfall of GPs.’
Gerada highlighted that the government had announced in August that it would provide an additional £500m over the next two years for hospital accident and emergency departments. GPs must get ‘a fair share’ of any additional funding, she added.