Dear Patients,
We wanted to talk to you about some important issues affecting our NHS and, more specifically, Lister House Surgery. As you may know, the NHS is under significant pressure. This is particularly true of General Practice, where demands from both the Government and our patients have increased. This pressure is further intensified by growing hospital waiting lists. Patients are having to rely on their GP surgeries for support whilst they face long waits to see Specialists, receive treatment and undergo operations.
Financial Pressures
There are huge financial pressures on General Practice. We want to be transparent with you, so you can understand the impact that this is having on your GP Surgery. Like many of your households, our costs have risen. Everything we buy is more expensive – from energy and water to medical supplies and staff. Unfortunately, the funding we receive from the Government has not increased at the same pace, meaning it does not come close to covering our current costs.
You may hear about 'new' money coming into Primary Care Networks (PCNs). Whilst some of this money allows us to employ staff who make a significant difference to the lives of the patients they support, the funding does not alleviate any of the financial strain on Lister House Surgery itself.
Current Situation
These financial pressures are already impacting our staffing levels. We have had to make some difficult decisions, including not replacing some staff members who have left. We have also had to greatly reduce locum cover and overtime. As a result, the number of clinical and administrative staff available per patient is decreasing, making it increasingly challenging to meet patient demand.
We are immensely proud of our hardworking staff and the fantastic care that they deliver, but we feel it is important to be honest with you about the challenges that we are facing. We hope that this will help you to understand why changes are happening, both to us and to GP Practices all over the country.
Steps We Are Taking
Our team is working tirelessly to continue to provide the quality of care that you deserve. We cannot work any harder. Having said this, financial pressures and decreasing staffing levels mean that we may not always be able to offer the level of service that you are used to. We can only provide the level of service that we are funded for.
You may notice that, more frequently than we would like, eConsults are closed early in the day. There may also be times when you are asked to access healthcare elsewhere. For example, local pharmacies are now able to diagnose and treat multiple short-term illnesses via the Pharmacy First scheme. We might also suggest that you contact 111 or visit the walk-in centre. All of these measures are in place to not only ensure that you access the most appropriate service for your concerns, but to ensure that the safe capacity of the Practice is not exceeded. We are all human beings with a finite number of hours in the day. If demand for appointments exceeds the amount that we are safely able to offer, we have no choice but to help you access healthcare elsewhere.
What Can You Do?
To ensure that appointments are available for those who need them, please consider whether you can help by self-managing minor illnesses at home, visiting your local pharmacy for advice, or contacting other services where appropriate. Please also ensure that you attend any appointments that you have booked or cancel them if they are longer needed so that we can offer them to others.
We appreciate your ongoing support and understanding during this challenging time. If you wish to advocate for us, you can reach out to your MP via letter or email. Having said this, we kindly request that you do not call the Practice to discuss these issues so that our phone lines remain open for patients in need of care.
Thank you for your cooperation, understanding and continued trust.
Sincerely,
The GP Partners at Lister House Surgery