Dr. John Farrell:

The problem is if we do not have a functioning primary care system - this is important - there is a knock-on effect on every other aspect of the health service. The number of beds on corridors gets the headlines but that is, in part, due to not having a functioning primary care system as people seek healthcare out of hours, which puts pressure on the out-of-hours system. If people are not seen promptly, they present themselves to emergency departments that are then flooded with patients and some people are admitted who may be more appropriately dealt with in the community. There is a knock-on effect all the time. It has been shown all over the world that a functioning primary care system significantly reduces pressure on out-of-hours services, emergency departments and secondary care. At the moment, while we have a functioning primary care system, we do not have the number of GPs we should have to provide the level of patient care that is necessary. People are now waiting weeks. We used to pride ourselves on a same-day GP service. The advent of chronic disease management is welcome and is providing quality care to our elderly population, but the chronic disease management programme means there are not enough routine appointments left on a day-to-day basis. We have to manage diseases such as respiratory syncytial virus, RSV, the concerns people have about strep A and Covid-19, which is still alive in the community and all those people have to be seen and, therefore, appointments for routine care are taking days or even weeks in busier practices. That is not acceptable. That is not what general practice is about but it is what is happening due to a lack of manpower. This has happened in a relatively short time. That is unfortunate.