General practice is 'falling apart' Devon doctor

General practice is "falling apart" due to a lack of funding, a GP in Plymouth has said.

Dr Rachel Ali, a GP at Devonport Health Centre, said she was taking part in an ongoing British Medical Association (BMA) work-to-rule dispute with the government over the issue.

She said: "Every week, there are GPs leaving, but more frightening, there are at least two GPs reporting they are at high risk of suicide due to the job."

The government said it was hiring more GPs, proposing the biggest funding boost in years and bringing in reforms, including cutting bureaucracy.

Dr Ali said her practice was working towards reducing daily appointments to 25 and cutting the amount of paperwork in a bid to stop doctors working until 22:30 to 23:00.

She said: "It should be letting us look after our patients."

Members of the BMA began industrial action in August 2024.

The union described it as a "slow burn" policy to force the government into extra investment to transform general practice.

Dr Ali said it was not about doctors' pay, but about funding surgeries to keep the lights on, and to keep nurses and receptionists employed.

She said: "There isn't enough money being given to do the things we are being asked to do.

"We only get paid about 31p per patient per year - that's the cost of an apple."

GPs are effectively independent businesses, so they have not embarked on a strike or campaign of industrial action in the traditional sense.

The BMA suggested GPs could pick-and-choose from a range of options.

These included capping the number of patients that would see each day, not doing tests and check-ups for hospitals, ignoring rationing guidelines - which could result in a deluge of referrals for hospital care - and refusing data-sharing requests.

Dr Ali said: "This is the best job in the world. But, when you are not doing it properly and you are working crazy hours and doing a lot of work which isn't resourced, it's really scary."

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "GP services are buckling after years of neglect.

"But, through our Plan for Change, we will fix the NHS's front door and shift the focus of healthcare from hospital to community.

"We're hiring 1,000 more GPs, proposing the biggest funding boost in years - an extra £889m - and bringing in reform like cutting red tape so doctors can focus on treating patients."