The Doctors\u2019 Association UK (DAUK) has launched a new phase in its campaign to highlight the critical state of general practice with MPs and policy makers.\r\n\r\nDAUK is urging GPs and their patients to write to their MPs and the Health Secretary Wes Streeting to warn the new GP contract is a risk to patient safety and call for urgent Government action.\r\n\r\nDAUK has made it simple for people to take part in the campaign by providing pre-written letters that can be sent directly to MPs and to the Health Secretary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The message is clear and urgent: \u201cIf general practice fails, the NHS fails. Don\u2019t let this happen on your watch.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe letter-writing campaign follows the imposition of a new GP contract variation from 1 October, which many GPs describe as \u2018unsustainable\u2019 and \u2018unsafe\u2019.\r\n\r\nThe new requirements demand GP practices provide online access for patients without providing any corresponding increase in funding, staffing, or infrastructure.\r\n\r\nDr Steve Taylor, GP co-lead at DAUK, said: \u201cWe have been increasingly concerned about the messages aimed at GPs from Health Secretary Wes Streeting, Health Minister Stephen Kinnock, and the Department of Health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey have said this is just a few BMA leaders. However, we have heard nothing but increasing concern from colleagues and patients about these new requirements.\r\n\r\n\u201cIt is puzzling that the Government is using of phrases like \u2018laggards\u2019, \u2018refuseniks\u2019, and \u2018museums\u2019 in picking a fight with GPs, who are providing 20% more appointments than 10 years ago with fewer resources.\r\n\r\n\u201cYet when GPs express concern about the top-down imposition of contract changes leading to problems, they refuse to listen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBy getting people and GPs to write to Mr Streeting and their MPs we hope they will see it\u2019s not just the BMA or LMCs, but grassroots GPs and patients who are worried about the future of general practice and safe patient care.\u201d\r\n\r\nDr Sarah Jacques, GP co-lead at DAUK, said: \u201cThis latest contract has been imposed without regard for the reality on the ground.\r\n\r\n\u201cPractices are already stretched beyond safe capacity. Opening new, un-resourced access routes is not innovation, it\u2019s destabilisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt will lead to longer waits, staff burnout, and could lead to more practice closures, leaving communities without essential care.\u201d\r\n\r\nDAUK is asking GPs and members of the public to take two simple actions that take only a few minutes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Campaign organisers stress that participation is not limited to doctors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr Jacques said: \u201cYou don\u2019t have to be a GP to get involved\r\n\r\n\u201cIf you care about the NHS and the safety of patient care, this is the moment to act.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe letter calls for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The letter concludes with a stark warning:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis contract variation does not modernise general practice, it destabilises it. And once lost, the community-based model of family medicine that defines the NHS will not return.\u201d\r\n\r\nIt\u2019s the latest stage in a long-running campaign by DAUK\u2019s GP committee. The campaign aims to address the disconnect between policymakers and the realities faced by GPs.\r\n\r\nThe committee is a non-profit group of volunteer GPs who advocate for general practitioners by addressing funding, workforce, and patient access and safety issues. Please support their work by joining DAUK<\/a> or donating to our GoFundMe<\/a>.\r\n\r\nThey provide briefings for politicians and develops policy proposals for improving general practice.\r\n\r\nThe committee also lobbied policy makers and Government. Members regularly raise awareness in the media of the ongoing GP crisis while countering misinformation and incorrect narratives around general practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Doctors\u2019 Association UK (DAUK) has launched a new phase in its campaign to highlight the critical state of general practice with MPs and policy…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1566,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65,59],"tags":[557,656,22,23],"class_list":["post-1445","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dauk-news","category-general-practice","tag-dauk-gp","tag-dr-sarah-jacques","tag-dr-steve-taylor","tag-gp-crisis"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dauk.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1445","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dauk.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dauk.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dauk.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dauk.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1445"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dauk.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1445\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dauk.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1566"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dauk.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1445"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dauk.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1445"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dauk.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1445"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}