“The limit has been reached for general practitioners.” Lamiek Westerhof, general practitioner in Assen and chairman of Huisartsenzorg Drenthe, is clear. “The pressure of care is increasing all the time.”
This week, GPs are taking action. This mainly happens in the practices themselves. In this, the general practitioners enter into a conversation with the patients to draw attention to the situation. “In our practice we all wear a T-shirt with the number of patients we care for. Such actions take place in our practices”, Westerhof gives as an example. And on Friday 1 July there will be a national day of action in The Hague.
The primary aim of GPs is to remain accessible to patients. “We notice that patients have trouble making appointments. Consultation hours are full. We don’t want that.” And the GPs want enough time for the patients. “That is currently lacking.”
The pressure at the GPs is due to the aging population, but also due to problems with referrals. There are long waiting lists in hospitals, but also in mental health care. “The patients come back to us again.” And there’s something else going on. The GPs have to deal with a lot of administrative work.
“We are asked to fill in forms for everything,” says Westerhof. “Municipalities, tax, health and safety services. That just has to stop. That is not GP work and costs us a lot of time.”
The solution may lie in attracting more GPs. But it’s not that simple yet. “There is a shortage everywhere. Not only GPs, but also doctor’s assistants.” That is why the general practitioners are arguing in any case for less regulatory pressure.
Negotiations will take place this summer on a multi-year plan for the entire healthcare sector. The general practitioners hope that agreements will also be made, so that they can continue to provide care in the future.