Where to focus on fixing GP? When there are so many problems, it is hard to know where to start…

Welcome to a new year.

2023.

One that will likely continue to put the crisis in GP into the mainstream news.

I am heading to a conference next week to present our difficulties in General Practice.

The basic premise is that General Practice has shifted over the last couple of decades.

And the changes that have taken place are why medical students do not want to do General Practice, and baby boomer GPs often choose to retire.

So what factors have changed over the decades?

I want to introduce you to a four-element formula for the problems of GP.

Identifying these elements gives us a framework for how to alter them and make work better for us in General Practice.

Right now, most of the focus has just been on one of the factors - the end of bulk billing.

But I want you to know there are three others.

So what's this formula?

Well, here it is…

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DIFFICULTY and RISK >>> MONEY and STATUS

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So, what does this formula mean?

Well, it explains why the problems are now so significant.

1. The difficulty has increased compared to 10, 20 and 30+ years ago
2. The risks we face are significantly higher - both because of the difficulty, and the way liability is placed on GPs
3. Money is down. Between rate freezes and inflation, our real wages are less.
4. Our status is down. People don’t know what we do or why they would want to invest in having an excellent GP.

More changes are undoubtedly coming for the profession this year, but I hope you find value in this formula.

Why?

It allows you to think about adjusting these variables for yourself…

What can you do this year to decrease difficulty, decrease risk, increase money and increase status?

Even small changes to any of these factors will improve your experience working as a GP.