- Government on track to deliver on manifesto commitment of
26,000 more primary care staff to help improve patient access to
appointments and reduce the Covid backlog.
- Follows £520 million investment to improve access and expand
GP capacity during the pandemic, on top of £1.5 billion to retain
and recruit staff.
- This is alongside record government investment of £39 billion
to tackle the Covid backlog and reduce waiting times.
The government is well over half way to delivering on its
manifesto commitment of having 26,000 more primary care staff by
March 2024, according to data published today.
There are now over 18,200 more people working in general
practice in March 2022 compared to March 2019, and nearly 30,000
overall.
This includes clinical pharmacists, mental health practitioners,
nursing and physician associates, physiotherapists, occupational
therapists, podiatrists and social prescribing link workers, who
refer patients to community services to support their wellbeing.
The additional staff form part of multi-disciplinary teams within
primary care, working alongside GPs to care for patients with
complex needs, reducing pressure on GPs and increasing capacity.
Sometimes a patient may see a different clinician – a pharmacist,
nurse or occupational therapist - instead of a GP as they
may be the best person to meet a patient’s needs and conditions.
Clinical pharmacists, for example, are fully qualified to deal
with a range of minor illnesses, providing advice and treatment.
The government continues to support general practice and injected
£520 million to improve access and expand GP capacity during the
pandemic, on top of the previously announced £1.5 billion to fund
general practice recruitment and retention schemes.
Health and Social Care Secretary said:
“I am hugely grateful for the tireless work of GPs and primary
care staff who act as the ‘front door’ to the NHS and provide
advice and support to their patients. We have been working
closely with the NHS to continue building the workforce and
tackle the Covid backlog.
“With over 18,200 more primary care staff already, we are on
track to deliver 26,000 more by 2024, backed by record funding to
help increase capacity and get patients the care they need more
quickly.”
Dr Nikki Kanani, national medical director for Primary
Care said:
“General Practice is a brilliant place to work, at the very the
heart of the NHS with the chance to make a
difference every day in local communities helping people and
their families stay in good health, and being there for people
during difficult moments.
“General Practice staff have worked flat-out over the pandemic
and it’s fantastic 18,000 healthcare workers have joined general
practice teams in just three years. With brilliant career
prospects, there is no better time than now to apply – search
‘NHS careers’ to find the role for you.”
The government is working to ensure it has the right number of
staff with the skills to deliver high quality care to meet
increasing demands, with plans to run a national recruitment
campaign in the coming year.
There were over 1,400 more doctors working in general practice in
March 2022 compared to the same time in 2019 and a
record-breaking number started training as GPs last year, data
from NHS Digital shows.
The government and NHS is working to tackle the Covid backlog
while reforming routine care services, ending long waits and
improving patient care.
The pandemic has put huge pressure on health and care services
and over the next three years a record £39 billion will be
invested through the Health and Care Levy, so the NHS has the
funding it needs.
The NHS is opening new surgical hubs and up to 160 community
diagnostic centres (CDCs) to deliver more operations and give
patients easier access to tests closer to home – with 88 CDCs
already open, delivering over 800,000 scans.
-ENDS-
Notes to editors:
- The NHS has launched a campaign
which highlights the rewarding and diverse range of roles
available within the NHS and encourages people to sign up.
- The new figure counts all increase in direct patient care
(DPC) staff across GP practices and primary care networks (PCNs),
the greatest increase has been in PCNs where the additional roles
reimbursement scheme (ARRS) fully reimburses the salary and on
costs of a set list of these roles.
- Full list of roles included in the ARRS: Clinical Pharmacist,
Pharmacy Technician, Physician Associate, Nursing Associate,
Trainee Nursing Associate, Physiotherapist, Paramedic (on
rotational working models with ambulance trust), Dietitian,
Occupational Therapist, Podiatrist, Social Prescribing Link
Worker, Care co-ordinator, Health and Wellbeing Coach, Mental
Health Practitioner (50% employed with local mental health trust,
with a cap of 2 per PCN).
