How You can help Your Surgery

£136 per year

What can you buy?

  • 11 months’ pet insurance – it costs £151 to insure a rabbit for one year with Petplan
  • 6 months’ mobile phone use – 1 year on a Vodafone sim-only tariff costs £264
  • 5 months’ Sky TV family bundle – one year costs £289
  • Less than 3 tanks of fuel for a Vauxhall Astra
  • Coffee on your way to work for 3 months

Or…

One year of funding per patient for the average General Practice.

Yes. £136. Less than the cost of pet insurance, or a mobile phone, or Sky TV, or 3 tanks of fuel. And many practices get far less than this.

And what do you get for your £136?

  • As many consultations with your GP or other practice staff as you need
  • Prescriptions organised and signed
  • Blood tests
  • Other tests e.g. ECGs
  • Hospital referrals
  • Pre-hospital care
  • Post-hospital care
  • Home visits if required

GPs use this money to:

  • Pay for their premises
  • Pay doctors and nurses
  • Pay their reception and admin staff
  • Pay for electricity, gas, phone bills
  • Buy/maintain surgery equipment and drugs
  • Pay for CQC inspections
  • Pay for accountancy, legal advice
  • Pay for professional insurance

It’s not much, is it?

GP funding has fallen by nearly 1/3 in the last five years.

General practice is in crisis – without better funding, we cannot continue.

What can you do to help?

  • Please don’t waste appointments. If you can’t make your appointment, cancel in good time
  • Think about if you really need an appointment – could the pharmacist help?
  • Order your repeat prescriptions in good time rather than at the last minute
  • Only request a home visit if you are genuinely housebound
  • Contact your MP. Tell them how much you value your GP surgery