Safety at risk due to crippling workloads

According to a report in the Morning Star, a survey of 5,025 family doctors for the British Medical Association (BMA) found 57 per cent felt their workload was unmanageable, with a further 27 per cent saying it was excessive.

In some areas of England such as the south-east and the West Midlands, figures were even higher with 86 per cent of doctors saying their workload was unmanageable. Only one in 10 of those surveyed across England thought their workload was manageable and enabled them to offer good quality and safe care.

BMA GP committee chairman Dr Chaand Nagpaul said: “This major survey demonstrates that GP practices across the country are struggling to provide safe, high-quality patient care because of unmanageable workload. Many practices are being overwhelmed by rising patient demand, contracting budgets and staff shortages which have left them unable to deliver enough appointments and the specialist care many patients need.”