London general: 70 years of improving life in the Capital

NHS general practice is celebrating its 70th birthday, which is a major milestone in the history of British medicine. The availability of general practice to Londoners (8m of us in 1948, 9m now, but as few as 6.5m in the 1990s) has been the bedrock of the NHS since its founding, providing cradle-to-grave care to all families, including those in the most deprived communities.
 
With 90% of NHS contacts taking place in general practice, GPs and practice teams are the face of the NHS throughout the Capital. Recently the Government announced a £20bn investment in the NHS, but from past experience little of this will reach the frontline of general practice. It is likely to be, as with much of our history, the hard work and dedication of the whole team working inside each GP surgery that delivers the next 70 years’ of success. So, on this significant birthday I would like to reflect on what general practice has achieved.
 
Universal coverage
 
Thanks to the development of NHS general practice, more and more people are now in regular contact with their GP:
 
Eradicating disease
 
Before the NHS many people were dying from preventable ailments such as diphtheria or tetanus. Today the children have access to universal vaccination programmes, delivered by general practice:
 
Longer lives
 
Average lifespans have grown substantially since 1948, with the work of general practice meaning far more people are living decades beyond retirement age:
A diverse workforce
 
Over the past 70 years, the NHS has transformed into being among the most diverse workforces in the world, currently a quarter of NHS staff working in London are from outside the UK and general practice draws its talent from across the globe:
The enduring role of the family doctor
 
These achievements are impressive and a testament to the way general practice has developed with the NHS, but the values of general practice have rightly remained the same. A report from 1948, titled Public Health in 1948: Remarkable Statistics: the first months of the National Health Service paints a picture that GPs and practice teams would recognise today, although now we do have equal numbers of “his” and “hers”:
 
“The success of the family doctor service depends primarily on the family doctor's relationship with his patients and that is not changed merely by an alteration in the method of payment for service. The administration required is far less than in the other branches. The service has been extremely popular with the public and it seems that despite the size of the undertaking and despite the uneven distribution of load which follows from the present distribution of doctors, the family doctors carried it successfully through its first year.”
 
The clinical team is made up of GPs, nurses, advanced practitioners, healthcare assistants and numerous new roles delivers so much more than the sum of its parts. Triaging, advice on self-care, diabetes management and many other tasks have been passed from GPs to skilled colleagues. The support they received from practice managers, administrators and reception staff enables the clinical team to take on these wider roles and helps to relieve much of the bureaucratic load which the powers-that-be choose to impose.
Last updated : 05 Jul 2018

 

GP surgery business rate refunds to be sent to NHS England (25 May 2016)

NHS England wrote to all practice in March following appeals that were lodged with the Valuation Office Agency regarding business rate refunds. Local Authorities are in the process of issuing...
Read more »

Health Service Journal Awards (25 May 2016)

The HSJ Awards represent an opportunity for practice teams and individuals to be recognised for the outstanding work they do. Categories include Compassionate Patient Care, Workforce and Clinical Leader of...
Read more »

Stand up for general practice in London (25 May 2016)

There are less than two weeks to stand for election to your Local Medical Committee. If you are a GP who would like to stand up for general practice in...
Read more »

Patient engagement work (25 May 2016)

Effective patient engagement can deliver benefits for both practices and patients in a number of ways. That is why Londonwide LMCs is increasing our work in this area. Improved outcomes...
Read more »

Patient Online May 2016 update (25 May 2016)

NHS England and Healthy London Partnership have asked us to thank you for your efforts to enable online services in London. Practices are now in a position to offer patients...
Read more »

2016/17 contract changes reminder (25 May 2016)

This page is a reminder the headline changes to the 2016/17 GP contract. A longer briefing was circulated in March before the contract came into effect, if you would like...
Read more »

Capita primary care support services (25 May 2016)

In response to concerns from GPs in London and across the country regarding problems with the new Primary Care Support Services outsourced to Capita, the Chair of the GPC...
Read more »

Outstanding Apprentice of the Year win (25 May 2016)

Stran-Jay Schloss (right), an apprentice working for Londonwide LMCs, has been voted Outstanding Apprentice of the Year by her peers on the apprenticeship programme. Stran-Jay has written about what winning...
Read more »

2016 LMC Conference - Dr Michelle Drage (25 May 2016)

Dr Michelle Drage shares her thoughts on the 2016 LMC Annual Conference, held on 20 May in London. Along with the rest of England, London’s general practices are now in a...
Read more »

May 2016 Newsletter now available (25 May 2016)

News and views from the professional voice of general practice in London   ...
Read more »
Next Page »
« Previous Page