Debate contribution: Primary Care: Extreme Pressures

Debate contribution by Ms Cara Hunter on 14 May 2024.

MLA

Ms Cara Hunter

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

14 May 2024

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Primary Care: Extreme Pressures

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4490349

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I will start by thanking our GPs for their hard work and commitment to the health of our communities. I know quite a few GPs in my constituency, from Portrush to Limavady and beyond, and I note how much more accessible mental health support, in particular, has been thanks to the advancement of multidisciplinary teams. I welcome today as an opportunity to talk through some of the most difficult challenges facing general practice and how we must see changes made urgently. The healthcare system in Northern Ireland is overstretched, underfunded and utterly overwhelmed. Primary care, being the bedrock of our health service, provides 95% of the care that people need throughout their lifetime. In March 2024, the NI Audit Office, in a report into GP access, revealed that GPs received just 5·4% of the total health and social care spend in 2022-23. That lack of investment reveals itself most dramatically in the closure of surgeries, emigrating doctors and low morale. So many GPs have been left to make the difficult decision to exit a professional career that has, historically, been both attractive and somewhat rewarding in many ways. GPs have continued to take on fewer hours, and, therefore, fewer patients have been seen. Liz Kimmins touched on the really important issue of there being more attractive options in the South. We are losing talent who choose to practise elsewhere. Alan Robinson touched on the fact that, last year, 13 GP practices decided to hand back contracts, causing the loss of around 70 doctors, which, undoubtedly, negatively impacted on the thousands of patients who were on their books. That was an inevitable consequence of such decisions, and it will only worsen. The shameful situation is that one quarter of our population is on a health waiting list. With one third of GP practices having sought crisis support in the past four years, it is little wonder that faith in our crumbling health system has been shattered. To underline what we already know, a recent survey found that 72% of people were dissatisfied with their local GP waiting times. Perhaps most worryingly, 32% of patients in need of an emergency appointment reported having to ring more than 30 times, on average, to get through to a receptionist. Having spoken to male constituents in particular, I note that, when they ring GPs, they often get a female receptionist and feel really uncomfortable about talking through more sensitive or private health matters and do not convey how serious something actually is because of embarrassment or hesitation. Is it any wonder that 85% of people have said that it is more difficult to get access to a GP post-pandemic than it was before. The Assembly must resolve that issue, reverse the crisis in the health system, protect the health and well-being of our population and ensure that our wider health services are not further overwhelmed by patients who may avoid them if they do not receive a timely GP appointment. Many constituents who are overwhelmed and frustrated, having tried and tried and still not had contact, give up and do not ring back. Today is an opportunity to have the conversation about how we can promote the working conditions that enable our GPs to serve the public in a manner that preserves the dignity of their patients and the profession. I will move quickly to Members' comments. Deborah Erskine touched on the importance of MDTs in rural areas such as Fermanagh, and I share her concerns and thoughts as I, too, represent a rural constituency. Colin McGrath said that this is a time to unlock opportunities for our health service by investing in primary care. Nuala McAllister said that she is inundated with messages from her constituents about their inability to access a GP. I am sure that none of us is a stranger to that. Alan Chambers acknowledged the work of the Minister so far, and Gerry Carroll included international examples of what we can do in looking to resolve the matter here. We have seen our GPs shoulder the burden in having to deal with escalating demand alongside a declining workforce, while facing real-terms funding cuts that we have never seen before. Huge challenges lie ahead, but, in having these types of conversations, we are taking all the right steps to ensure that we see changes.

A huge "Thank you" as well to the wider community pharmacy, which also faces significant challenges but has really stepped up to the plate and provided support for communities. The more we invest in primary care and community pharmacies, the smaller the number of people showing up at A&E waiting rooms in utter distress and pain. Now is the time to invest in GPs and community pharmacies. I thank the Minister for being here to hear our concerns.

806 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 10:27 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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