Thread by @ArtfulDoctor

@MartinRCGP @rcgp 2/9 See our press release and action plan here: rcgp.org.uk/about-us/news/… - GPs and their teams have played a pivotal role throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, but even before the pandemic, GPs were under immense workload and workforce pressures.

@MartinRCGP @rcgp 3/9 We simply do not have enough GPs to meet the needs of a growing and ageing population, with increasingly complex conditions, on top of managing the fallout and backlog from the pandemic. If general practice collapses, the rest of the NHS will follow.

@MartinRCGP @rcgp 4/9 GP consultation rates were 11% higher in June 2021 than in June 2019 while the number of fully qualified GPs in England has fallen as the population grows - the number of full-time equivalent GPs fell by 1,307 (4.5%) between September 2015 and March 2021.

@MartinRCGP @rcgp 5/9 Workload pressures and burnout are already impacting on GPs. Six in ten GPs say their mental health has deteriorated in the last year - and 34% of GPs expect to leave the profession within five years, a quarter due to stress and burnout, possibly over 14,000 GPs in total.

@MartinRCGP @rcgp 6/9 We are calling on Health Secretary @sajidjavid and the incoming leader of @NHSEngland to implement the proposals in our action plan to address the challenges that have beset general practice for more than a decade - our proposals will improve the care of patients

@MartinRCGP @rcgp @sajidjavid @NHSEngland 7/9 We need an expanded workforce with the appropriate support and premises if we are to improve access, reduce health inequalities, ensure patient safety, and give GPs more time to care for and build trusting relationships with their patients.

@MartinRCGP @rcgp @sajidjavid @NHSEngland 8/9 Pressures in the NHS are not just confined to hospitals -  if we invest in general practice, the entire NHS reaps the benefit.

@MartinRCGP @rcgp @sajidjavid @NHSEngland 9/9 If the government doesn’t act now to address the challenges facing general practice, patient care will suffer. Join the @RCGP in sounding an #SOSforgeneralpractice and share our action plan with your MP today: rcgp.eaction.org.uk/GPactionplan

@MartinRCGP @rcgp @sajidjavid @NHSEngland @threadreaderapp unroll please