GPs in Kent facing crisis due to 'unmanageable workload'

It's been described as a GP crisis by the local medical committee Credit: ITV News Meridian

GPs in Kent are at tipping point, according to the first survey of GPs and practice managers across the county in five years.

Declining GP numbers look set to worsen as surging workloads correlate with significant GP stress levels.

Kent Local Medical Committee received 229 responses from staff working in GP surgeries in June and July.

It found 57% reported they've considered retiring, reducing their hours or leaving the profession altogether in the next five years.

The organisation is now calling for urgent infrastructure investment and a manageable workload for the survival of general practice in the county.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said:

"It is vital that the public can access primary care services when needed and we are making it easier for patients to see and contact their GP, with 29 more appointments in every GP practice, per working day, compared to 2019.

"To help beat the 8am rush, we are investing £240 million to support practices embrace the latest technology, and through measures such as this the government has delivered more than 2,000 additional doctors and 31,000 extra staff than in 2019.

"The NHS has also published the first ever Long-Term Workforce Plan, backed by over £2.4 billion, to train hundreds of thousands more staff over the next 15 years and through our new and expanded pharmacy services we could remove 10 million appointments a year from general practice."