A petition calling on politicians to stop GP practice closures has gained over 54,000 signatures in just 24 hours.
It was launched by Lancashire and Cumbria Consortium of Local Medical Committee’s chief executive Dr Adam Janjua and demanded political leaders ‘come up with a serious plan to fix the impending crisis’.
Partnering with activist organisation 38 Degrees, Dr Janjua called for changes to how GP practices are funded and further investment in the profession.
In the petition, Dr Janjua said he was ‘very worried’ that ‘hundreds of practices’ nationally are at risk of closure due to ‘funding cuts’.
He added: ‘I’m working with 38 Degrees to demand our political leaders come up with a serious plan to fix the impending crisis of GP practices closing.
‘The benefits are obvious. Investing in local doctors creates a ripple effect throughout the healthcare system. If we strengthen our GPs it helps make us healthier, reduces the burden on hospitals, and creates a healthier society.’
According to Dr Janjua, politicians should stop trying to ‘divide’ the public by shifting ‘blame’ onto NHS staff such as GPs.
‘We need to change how GP surgeries are funded so they can afford to stay open without charging patients,’ he said.
‘In the past few years, money meant for individual surgeries has been split between hundreds of practices. This has made it harder for GPs like myself to keep up with costs.’
He linked to our sister title Pulse’s reporting which showed that nearly 60 practices closed their doors in 2022, as well as his own LMCs report from earlier this year, which found that 10 local practices were ‘at immediate risk of closure’.
The report also warned that cloud-based telephony, which was a requirement in last year’s contract, will cost ‘cash-strapped’ GP practices up to £10,000 extra per year.
BMA GP Committee England chair Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer previously said that this year’s GP contract imposition, with a funding increase of just over 2%, will ‘likely’ lead to more practice closures.
This article was originally published by our sister title Pulse
