IF we accept the idea that we need GP surgeries to be open seven days a week, 8am to 8pm, what does that imply?
Such a working week is 84 hours, so clearly more GPs would have to be employed.
But there isn’t a huge pool of unemployed GPs. To train up more is a large expense.
And the GP wouldn’t be there on their own.
At least a receptionist and possibly a nurse and clerical staff would be necessary.
That would cost more money. So would the extra heating and lighting and weekend cleaning shifts required.
And presumably the GP might prescribe drugs, for which you’d have to go to the pharmacy.
So that would require privately-run pharmacies to be open 84 hours with all the extra cost that involves.
Whichever way round you look at it, to deliver a seven-day 8am to 8pm service requires more resource and more money.
If this is really Mrs May’s plan, then it’s good to see that she is effectively in agreement with the BMA.
Instead of trying to shift the blame then, is it too much to hope for a statement from the PM as to where these extra resources are coming from?
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