The Royal College of GPs (RCGP) has called for longer consultation times, longer GP training and continued support for GP federations in its UK-wide “manifesto”.
Leading the Way: High Quality Care For All Through General Practice outlines recommendations for the future of high-quality care for patients, for whichever party is elected following this year’s general election.
The main recommendations are a call for longer consultation times and longer GP training. The RCGP argues that the ageing population means more patients will have long-term and increasingly complex conditions, requiring GPs and patients to have more time together to discuss care and treatment options.
Other key points in the manifesto include calls for: continued support for the development of GP federations; better access to talking therapies; better and faster access to diagnostic tests, and better services for socially excluded groups.
RCGP Chairman Professor Steve Field said: “Our health service faces a huge challenge: how to respond to reduced funding without reducing the quality of the services we provide, or the quality of the care our patients deserve.
“The RCGP is up for the challenge and is already leading the way in showing how high-quality, cost-effective care can be available to all, based on clinical need and not an individual’s ability to pay.”
