14: Are we seeing the decline of general practice, or its rebirth? – with Professor Katherine Checkland, Dr Rebecca Fisher and Shaun Lintern

For years public satisfaction with the NHS has been highest for general practice. 

But even before the pandemic, rising workloads and workforce shortages had left many GPs dissatisfied and stressed. Then add a pandemic into the mix, with GPs instructed to move rapidly from face-to-face consultations to telephone or digital advice as a first step. As the pandemic eases, signs of public frustration are now spilling over to the tabloids, MPs’ in-trays and adding to demand to hospital A&E; departments. 

Is this a sign of general practice crumbling or are we seeing its rebirth as the old model of care enters the digital age? Do we need a fuller vision for the future of primary care? And what are the government and the NHS doing to manage the fallout from growing frustration among the public and GPs?

Our Chief Executive Dr Jennifer Dixon discusses with three expert guests: 

Professor Katherine Checkland is Professor of Health Policy and Primary Care at the University of Manchester and until recently was a practising GP in rural Derbyshire. 

Shaun Lintern is Health Correspondent at The Independent. 

Dr Rebecca Fisher is Senior Policy Fellow at the Health Foundation, leading policy work on primary care, and is a practising doctor, working two days a week as a GP in an area of high urban deprivation.

Useful links

Rebecca Fisher (2021) 'Levelling up' general practice in England 

Rebecca Fisher, Ruth Thorlby and Hugh Alderwick (2019) Understanding primary care networks

Martin Roland, HEE Primary Care Workforce Commission (2015) The future of primary care

NHS England (2014) Five Year Forward View