Dr Brendan Kennedy, from Modality Partnership, was speaking at a meeting of councillors in Skipton earlier this week when he discussed the state of primary care across the country. Modality Partnership runs 10 GP surgeries in Airedale, Wharfedale and Craven including Fisher Medical Centre in Skipton, Silsden Surgery and Steeton Health Centre. Dr Kennedy warned investment is needed from government to ensure patients can still access the levels of service they have come to expect.
Advertisement Advertisement Did you know with a Digital subscription to Yorkshire Post, you can get access to all of our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. He said: “Two practices are closing a week and one in 10 are on an NHS waiting list. The number of GPs is going down and the population is rising.
The average age of a doctor leaving the profession is just 38.” Dr Kennedy also said GPs are struggling to retain reception staff due to abuse from members of the public. He added: “Reception staff are our frontline and they get a significant amount of abuse.
They do not hang around and they’ll say I can go work at Aldi and won’t get the abuse. The public need to be kind.” Senior figures from Modality addressed councillors regarding its controversial online booking system that was introduced to patients in April 2023.
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