The RCGP has responded to the King’s Fund report on Sustainability and Transformation Plans, published today.
Professor Maureen Baker, RCGP Chair, said: “The College has supported the formation of STPs as regional ‘engine rooms’ for helping different parts of the health service work more collaboratively to maximise the use of NHS resources over a health economy.
“But their main role must not be to plug ever-increasing hospital deficits. At least as much focus must be on general practice and providing GPs with the resources we need to deliver more care to patients in our communities.
“Our calculations show that increased spending on general practice could save the NHS £447m annually and keep over 1m patients away from hospital emergency departments.
“Without the funding that STPs are being directed to spend on general practice, the family doctor service stands to lose up to £760m in 2020/21, and this could send the entire NHS into freefall.
For full article see Royal College of General Practitioners 14 November 2016