DDA political advisor secures support of GP partner model

Lords health minister describes it as a "bedrock"

The value of the GP partner model has been confirmed in the Lords in a debate secured by DDA political advisor Baroness McIntosh of Pickering.

In the debate on GP recruitment and retention, Lords health minister Lord Markham described the partner model as “the bedrock of our GP service”, adding: “I actually think the partner model works very well for a lot of people.”

During the debate, Baroness McIntosh pointed out that there has been a 18 per cent increase in the number of patients per GP but a 7 per cent reduction in GPs. Potentially, 39 per cent of the GP workforce could leave the profession in the next five years.

Lord Markham replied that Government priorities included: reducing admin and bureaucracy, and increasing GP training and use of schemes such as Pharmacy First.

In the Scottish Parliament MSPs were told that since its introduction in July 2020, over three million NHS Pharmacy First Scotland consultations have taken place across Scotland, removing the need for unnecessary visits to GP practices. In 2021/22, 23 per cent of the Scottish population (1,242,801 people) accessed Pharmacy First services at least once.

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