Shortfall in work and health support for GP staff
This week, I attended a panel discussion at the Royal College of General Practitioners on support for GPs with chronic physical and mental health issues, hosted by Dr Itunu Johnson-Sogbetun. My main takeaway was the steep gap between the need for support and what is out there for colleagues working in primary care.
Current challenges in general practice
Demand in general practice is extremely high compared to the resource available to deal with this demand. This is leading to work-related stress, burnout and moral injury for GP teams.
GP vs other healthcare environments
In general practice, there is typically a lower level of occupational health coverage than other parts of the NHS. This can mean that when issues around work and health arise for someone in the GP team, there is a greater need for dialogue and negation around sourcing occupational health input between employee and employer compared to secondary care, where, most of the time, top down resources for OH support are already in place with established referral pathways. As most practices run as SMEs, they may not be able to accommodate as extensive adjustments as Trusts for employees with disabilities. Team dynamics are also more heightened with a smaller workforce and can be a barrier to seeking help.
The dilemma around locum GPs
For some healthcare workers, the decision to locum rather than take on a salaried post actually relates to the very reasons they require health and work support. These can include:
Need for a higher degree of autonomy and flexibility e.g. to get to healthcare appointments
More flexibility around when to work, causing less disruption to the team and patient care when not well enough
Unable to consistently work enough clinical sessions each week for a salaried post
Financial need for higher earnings per session when well enough to work, if not well enough to work full time
Primary care healthcare professionals working as locums have even less work and health support than salaried colleagues, making it even more challenging to navigate routes to help and funding if any occupational health issues arise.
Current resources that can help GP teams
Increasing awareness of the factors that lead to work related stress and empowering individuals to raise and address these locally
NHS Practitioner Health provides free and confidential mental health and addiction support for health and care staff
Free confidential coaching for people working in primary care with an individual/ team/ career focus. Coaching can be powerful in helping find a way forward through work/ health/ life dilemmas
Balint groups as a forum for reflective practice, particularly around the emotional labour of consulting, clinician-patient relationship and how this relates to healthcare professionals as people
I spend part of my week working in General Practice so the primary care context is more familiar to me. But, there are contractors working in all parts of the economy who, like some GP staff may choose less secure employment to better navigate their health needs alongside their career, and are caught in a similar challenge when they need support. OH awareness week is around the corner. Finding ways of filling in gaps in the occupational health landscape, whether in the healthcare sector or elsewhere in the economy must start with more dialogue around work and health.