More money must be pushed into primary care in order for the NHS to continue to deliver good quality care, the RCGP has said.
In a new report, The 2022 GP – A Vision for General Practice, RCGP state a “major funding shift” is needed to address the current funding imbalance.
GPs need to move from an “outdated 20th century model” of fragmented care, and added investment will aid the shift, the report said.
Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) chair Dr Clare Gerada said: “This vision outlines ways in which to provide easier access to a more flexible and integrated system of primary care that will benefit our patients immensely.
“It maps out a way for patients to receive the best possible care in and out of hours from the start to the end of their lives.”
More investment would allow GPs to have a “modern and efficient” system of integrated person-centred care based within local communities, the RCGP has said.
But Dr Gerada added that it will not become a reality without more investment in general practice.
She said: “Innovation and reform are vital but must be underpinned by investment.
“The Government must recognise that general practice is the most cost effective way of providing care and act accordingly, by urgently reversing the real terms decline in the amount of money that general practice receives.”
The report is available to read on the RCGP website.
