DAUK’s vice chair Dr Ellen Welch has blogged about public satisfaction with the NHS on a national news website.
Dr Welch, a GP in Cumbria, was responding to the latest British Social Attitudes survey.
The survey explores public satisfaction with the NHS and social care.
It found that 21 per cent of people were satisfied in the way the NHS runs. Almost three in five (59 per cent) said they were ‘very’ or ‘quite’ dissatisfied.
Writing for the LBC website, Dr Welch said she hears people’s frustrations on a daily basis as a GP.
NHS investment
Describing the NHS as the country’s ‘jewel in the crown’, Dr Welch highlighted the lack of investment in the service, and in primary care in particular, as being an issue behind public dissatisfaction.
She wrote: “… we can’t have a sparkling jewel in our crown if the tiara we are wearing comes from Poundland.”
Read Dr Welch’s blog on LBC.co.uk.
Meanwhile, Dr Steve Taylor, DAUK’s GP spokesperson, has been speaking in the media about requirements for ICBs to set up ‘interface groups’ to oversee the expansion of advice and guidance.
Primary care
Speaking to GPonline, Dr Taylor said the groups were a welcome move and strong primary care representation was needed.
He said: “It’s important to have a strong GP voice in those groups, otherwise they could just create downward pressure on GPs not to refer.
“It needs to be equal, with GP representation from people who are working within the system currently and who have the ear of local GPs to state clearly to the hospital trust what the problems are.”
Read the GPonline article in full.
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