Collective Action

We’re on Your Side

We want to provide the best care possible for you and your loved ones. But current government funding arrangements don’t allow for this. As a result, the team at Robin Hood Lane Health Centre are taking part in Collective Action, to try and save general practice.

The Challenges We Are Facing

Over the years, general practices have been providing services to the public, which, to date are unpaid. This work fill sthe gaps for other services, such as hospitals. Some of this work includes:

• Carrying out investigations (e.g., blood tests) or completing referrals on behalf of hospital teams, which they should be doing themselves.
• Providing an increasing number of appointments year on year despite reduced funding
• Offering additional services without funding for health worker time or resources

This is not sustainable.

Some Facts About The Practice

• Your practice receives just £107.57 per year for each patient registered with us.
• This is regardless of how often you need to use our services. Whether you visit once a year or every week, the funding remains the same.
• That’s less than the cost of an annual TV licence.
• It breaks down to just 30p a day for every patient – less than the cost of an apple.

This fixed funding makes it challenging to meet the varied needs of our community, especially for patients requiring frequent care.

Why Change is Crucial

If we don’t act now, here’s what it could mean for you:

1. Even Longer Waits: We know you’re already facing long waits for appointments. As more practice staff burn out or retire early without replacement, these waits could become even longer and more frequent.
2. Traveling Further: Over 1,000 practices have closed in 10 years. You might need to travel further for care.
3. Rushed Appointments: Overworked staff might have less time to address all your concerns.
4. Fewer Services: Practices might struggle to offer the range of services you need.
5. Unequal Care: Some areas might be hit harder, creating unfair differences in healthcare access.

We’re taking collective action to prevent these issues from getting worse and to improve your access to care.

What We Want

• A bigger slice of NHS funding for primary care, so that we can:
  • Hire and retain more GPs, nurses, and other practice staff
  • Provide more proactive and preventive care to keep you healthier
  • Offer services that keep people out of hospital when possible
  • Deliver a wider range of services in your local community
  • Make it easier for you to get appointments and access the care you need

We’re In This Together

GP practices want the same things you do. We believe nobody should struggle to access primary care services when they need them.

Learn More

Please click on the links below if you’d like to learn more about this issue and how it affects your healthcare.