Doctors Surgeries in Lincolnshire are struggling to recruit new Doctors
Some people are forced to wait a week to see their GP in Lincolnshire, but sadly according to a new report, that wait could get longer.
Lincolnshire is struggling to hire new GPs for their surgeries. According to a new report we face a 200 plus shortage over the next four years. That means waiting lists could get even longer to see a GP.
The report found that not only are Lincolnshire Surgeries struggling to hire new GPs, but they are also struggling to retain the ones they have.
This problem does not just affect places like Lincoln, Boston, Grantham, Skegness, and the rest of Lincolnshire, it affects the whole of the UK.
Patients all over the country could be forced to wait longer to see their doctor. Nationally, the number of GPs has fallen. In 2016, there were 51.5 per 100,000 patients, but now that figure has reduced to 46.3 per 100,000.
With more GPs heading towards retirement, and some GPs moving abroad for less hours and better pay, the problem could become much bigger than expected.
Dr Kieran Sharrock, medical director for Lincolnshire Local Medical Committee, told BBC Radio Lincolnshire on Monday: “The situation is getting worse because we’ve got an ageing population of GPs.
“Also, the increasing demand that we’re receiving means a lot of GPs are thinking they can’t cope with being a doctor so they’re going part-time or retiring early.”
Professor Martin Marshall, Chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: “It is totally unacceptable to expect patients to wait weeks for a GP appointment. Patients -and GPs – deserve better.
“However, the situation in which we find ourselves has not happened overnight, and the College has been sounding the alarm bells for many years.
“We hope that the Government will take this seriously and that it will deliver quickly on its General Election manifesto pledge of 6,000 additional GPs and many more thousands of the wider general practice team.
“General practice keeps the rest of the NHS standing by delivering care in the community, close to home where patients want it, and thereby alleviating the pressures on other parts of the health service.
“For too long, our service has been running on empty and the new Government must make it a top priority to reverse this decline and give GPs the support they need in order to give patients the quality care they deserve, now and in the future.”
If the Government don’t act quickly, then this problem could continue to escalate.