Economic Downturn To Increase Pressure On General Practice, Warn GP Managers In The UK

UK general practice will face increased pressures as a result of the economic downturn, according to a survey of 220 UK practice managers published in the latest issue of Management in Practice, the leading information resource for general practice managers.


Seven in 10 respondents to the survey, sponsored independently by the Royal Bank of Scotland, said they expected to see a drop in their practice's profits next year.


Half of managers said their surgeries had seen a fall in income since last year, with many reporting that this was due to rises in expenditure - particularly energy costs and staff salaries.


Added to this was a concern over increased demand for GP services, with more unemployed, stressed and depressed patients seeking treatment.


One respondent to the survey, a practice manager from Inverclyde, said: "Being in an already deprived area, I feel this will add to people's health problems, with increased anxiety and depression. General practice is already an extremely busy place to be without increasing attendances and demands from unhappy patients."


Another manager said rising expenditure meant his GP surgery would put pressure on practice staff: "This increase in demand will have to be dealt with by existing GPs, since employing salaried GPs and locums will not be an option financially," he said.


When asked in what area they had seen the biggest single rise in expenses in the last year, most cited energy costs (39%) and staff salaries (35%). More than half (51%) said that their staff costs, as a percentage of the practice's overall expenditure, had increased when compared with the previous year.


The survey suggests extended surgery opening hours mean many practice managers are working longer for less - 41% of respondents said that, compared to last year, they were working longer hours for the same pay. Only 11% said they were working longer for more pay.


One in five managers said that they had had to reduce the rate of staff salary increases this year. Some reported that salary increases could only be afforded by their GP partners taking a cut in their own incomes (one respondent said this was the fourth year in a row the practice had resorted to this).


Responding to these survey results, a British Medical Association spokesperson acknowledged the issue of increased demand on a limited workforce: "We agree that the downturn will have an impact on general practice. There is likely to be an increase in consultation rates, and pressure from government to avoid inflationary rises in public-sector pay could limit practices' ability to expand their workforce sufficiently to meet demand."


The full survey report is available at: managementinpractice/surveys.















The Management in Practice - Royal Bank of Scotland Finance Survey was conducted online at managementinpractice from 6 to 30 October 2008. A total of 220 respondents completed the survey. Of these, 77.5% were practice managers, 8% were business managers, with the remainder comprising assistant practice managers, practice directors/partners, practice administration staff, nurse managers and GPs.


The vast majority (88%) of respondents were from practice managers in England; 5% were from Scotland; 5% from Northern Ireland and 2% from Wales.


Other key results:


-- 80% of respondents said they believed private sector providers pose a "major threat to the quality of general practice and to patient care".


-- 78% agreed with the statement: "The introduction of polyclinics or 'GP-led health clinics' is a serious threat to traditional general practice and could lead to the closure of GP surgeries."


-- 79% said they believed patients should be allowed to pay for private drugs in addition to NHS treatment they receive. Only 9% said they believed patients should not be able to buy "top-up" drugs; the remainder were not sure.


-- 31% of respondents said they believed all prescriptions should be free. Just under half (49%) thought that prescriptions for some should be free (eg, patients with long-term conditions and the elderly); the remainder said the cost to the NHS/taxpayer would be too high.


About Management in Practice and Campden Media


Management in Practice is a quarterly review journal produced by Campden Publishing that delivers accessible, relevant and informed news, in-depth articles and comment on all aspects of the practice manager role. It is part of a family of products and services, including events, exhibitions and online content. All these products are specifically designed for practice managers and their teams working across the UK and aim to promote best practice in primary care surgery management and provide expert comment on and analysis of the many complex issues facing practice managers.


Management in Practice Events (managementinpractice/events) is the largest free conference and expo series designed specifically to meet the educational needs of practice managers. Each programme features an impressive collection of speakers delivering highly topical and relevant presentations that contribute to attendees' professional development. These educational conferences are complemented by full and varied exhibitions featuring key charities, product suppliers, educational institutions, primary care services and recruitment specialists.


In 2009, Management in Practice Events will be visiting:


-- Manchester - The Bridgewater Hall - Tuesday 9 June 2009

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-- London - Business Design Centre - Wednesday 2 September 2009

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-- Birmingham - NEC - Tuesday 6 October 2009

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Management in Practice Awards, launched in 2008, are to take place annually and are designed to recognise excellence and innovation in the primary care setting. Applications are invited from individual practice managers, teams of primary healthcare administrative staff or those working with them who have undertaken projects to improve their practice, the care experience of their patients and the working practices of all their staff.


Campden Publishing is a division of Campden Media (campden), a specialist business-to-business information provider. The company delivers essential information in two core markets - healthcare and finance. Our brands create high-quality content that is delivered to our audiences via the combined channels of print, websites, expert research, conferences and exhibitions. Campden Media is a global organisation with offices in London, New York and Singapore.