GP vacancies rocketed to over 3000 last year, but the Government are not taking the problem seriously.

He is calling for:

* An end to the political targets which cripple GP morale and damage patient care

* The Government to urgently address the crisis in GP and district nurse recruitment

* The Government to end their obsession with hospitals and channel more of the extra investment into family health services

* The Government to look at ways of letting nurses, pharmacists and therapists to use their skills so that patients get speedier access to good quality healthcare Local Lib Dem campaigner, Richard Thomas said:

"Government figures show that in Lewisham there are 21 GP vacancies.

"I want to know how this is affecting front line delivery of services and how the service patients receive might be approved.

"The time-bomb of GP vacancies was set by the Conservatives' under-funding of the NHS but the bomb has kept ticking under Labour. The Government's belated reactions have not yet made an impact on the crisis of doctor's numbers.

"Pressure can be lifted from GPs by making more creative use of other primary care professionals. Nurses and pharmacists have the training and experience to deal with many concerns of patients."


August 2004

Back to News Index

NOTES:
England GP vacancy numbers by SHA from 2000 to 2003 -SHA Year 2000 2001 2002 2003 -England total 1,143 2,345 2,487 3,245 -SOUTH EAST LONDON 38 101 81 179 -GP vacancy numbers by PCT 2003 -SHA PCT TOTAL -England Total 3,245 of which -SOUTH EAST LONDON ALL 78 of which -BEXLEY PCT 24 -BROMLEY PCT 37 -GREENWICH PCT 32 -LAMBETH PCT 32 -LEWISHAM PCT 21 -SOUTHWARK PCT 33 * There are over 800 more GP vacancies according to the latest survey compared to the year before. * There were 3435 GP vacancies last year (April 2002/March 2003) - a 31% increase since last year. The average number of applicants per vacancy filled dropped to 3.3 this year (compared to 4.4 in 2002, 6.9 in 2001)