The NHS faces fresh crisis over younger doctors and GPs taking early retirement, to take advantage of better work-life balance, the implementation of the recent pension rules making it less worthwhile to serve for a long time within the system.
A study published this week, and reported in The Times found that two-fifths of family doctors in the Southwest intended to quit patient care within five years and this is likely to be a reflection of the whole country.
The NHS released the General Practice Forward View in 2016, promising to deliver extra GPs and increase funding of about £2.4 billion a year by 2020 – along with a £500 million investment in staff, technology and premises.
Successive governments have diverted money towards hospitals to avoid crucial waiting times, there have been an estimated 15 per cent GP appointments between 2011 and 2014, with many GPs facing increasing workload. They GPs are saying that even a six-figure salary is not worth staying on in the job over a long time.
NHS Digital showed almost 100 fewer full-time GPs – with the younger members deciding to quit after seeing their burnt-out older colleagues.
Despite government's efforts, a number of healthy patients are stranded in hospitals because nearly 37 percent of the patients do not have adequate care at home and are holding up beds. Nearly 6,797 patients were ready for discharge in February, but were still holding beds in the hospital. The entire crisis spiralled down to a lack of social services, leading to hospital bed blockers.