From crisis to capacity: how do we change our thinking on GP workforce challenges?

Dr Tom Davis, medical director and country manager at Livi, explores how greater efficiencies and embracing digital care can solve the GP workforce crisis

There’s an acute paradox in primary care. Demand for GPs is rising, yet the number of GP roles is declining, leaving both patients and clinicians frustrated. While many attribute this ‘crisis’ to a lack of resources, we need to think beyond the numbers. The core issue is not just capacity but efficiency.

According to the World Economic Forum, inefficiencies account for 20-30 % of all healthcare spending. According to the RCGP, GPs are spending a third of their time on administrative tasks (such as writing medical notes)¹, practices are relying on outdated appointment booking systems, and the system is clogged up by unnecessary in-person visits that could be handled remotely.

By leveraging scalable technology alongside clinical expertise, primary care services can streamline workflows, enhance productivity, and ultimately increase capacity –delivering better care without necessarily requiring more GPs.

This is not about replacing healthcare professionals with tech, but it is about enabling our GP workforce to do more with less.

Time to swipe right on smart healthcare

Currently, one in 20 patients wait at least four weeks for a GP appointment, creating frustration and let’s be clear, potentially worsening health outcomes. Yet, a significant portion of these appointments could be digitally offloaded, freeing up GPs for those patients with urgent and complex needs. Addressing this challenge requires GP partners and ICB  decision-makers to recognise digital tools as a critical solution rather than an optional enhancement. The real ‘game-changer’ is a blended model of digital and in-person care.

Digital-first remote consultations and AI-powered care navigation can redirect patients to the most appropriate form of care, ensuring that those who need in-person GP appointments can access it more quickly. Unlike many in digital healthcare, I don’t subscribe to the thinking that digital is a means to an end, not everything can be treated digitally. What we need is a hybrid approach to care that offers omni channel care delivery powered by digital.

For example, our ‘digi-physical’ model in Sweden has transformed primary care, serving over 80,000 patients monthly by seamlessly integrating GP-led digital consultations with more than 60 physical clinics. As a result, we have increased access for 60-80% of patients while preserving physical capacity for those with urgent needs.

For our UK partners – including the 400+ practices already working with us – this model has demonstrated that scaling access efficiently via digital-first appointments benefits the entire system. By reducing unnecessary in-person visits and optimising clinician time, we can create a more resilient NHS while improving patient outcomes. If implemented nationwide, this approach aligns with the NHS Long Term Plan, cutting wait times, reducing system strain, and lowering the cost of GP appointments by as much as 40-50 %.

Administration still chokes our healthcare system

A recent survey among trainee GPs by the BMA found that seven in 10 were experiencing burnout and stress. The GP members showed it is a profession at breaking point. It’s no surprise given that the average GP now cares for more than 2,300 patients, a 16% increase  since 2015 (NHS Digital).

We all know the stats, but we continue to work in the same patterns, systems and processes that were relevant to treating the sick in the 1940s. And how patients are accessing GP appointments is also stuck in the past. Many practices continue to rely on traditional phone-based booking systems, which are not only inefficient but also a major contributor to patient frustration with the 8AM phone scramble. This outdated system leads to long phone queues, wasted administrative time, and an inequitable system where those who can wait on hold the longest—rather than those with the greatest clinical need—get appointments first.

Our latest survey reveals that more than a quarter (27 %) of the public have visited A&E recently because the waiting time to access a GP appointment was too long.

Meeting the challenges for a future healthcare system

In a system as vital and overstretched as we are now, finding efficiencies isn’t just about chasing the numbers to save time and money, nor is it about recruiting more GPs. It’s about saving lives. Streamlining GP services through an integrated ‘digi-physical’ model ensures that resources are channelled to where they’re needed most. Digital when needed, physical when necessary.

Patients receive faster, better care, though a digital offload and by a digital referral to the next stage of care. While healthcare professionals are empowered to do what they do best: treat patients. Every ounce of efficiency squeezed from the system translates into a stronger, more resilient NHS, saving costs and capable of meeting today’s challenges and tomorrow’s demands.

Stephen Bates, digital and transformation manager at Waterside Health Network PCN in Devon, explains how more than 400,000 patients in the Devon and Southampton PCNs  are set to benefit from enhanced access to GP services, via online video consultations from Livi:

‘Combining digital appointments with our surgery and telephone appointment options gives our patients more choice on how and when they access primary care services. This enables us to prioritise our patient needs, reduce pressure on A&E and free up capacity for face-to-face appointments. Digital consultations have long been part of our patient appointment model giving some patients that cannot travel or struggle in a surgery environment access to virtual appointments. The Livi team’s swift setup and high standard of care has impressed us, ensuring our patients continue to receive seamless, reliable care.’

By embracing a hybrid model, we can reimagine primary care. The future of GP access isn’t digital versus physical, but a seamless blend of both. If we keep chasing more GPs without fixing inefficiencies, we’ll be stuck in the same cycle. The answer isn’t just more doctors–it’s a smarter system that lets them focus on what matters most: patient care.

This article has been provided by Livi.

References

1. https://www.rcgp.org.uk/News/Charging-patients-will-not-work