Primary care has always been the gateway to the NHS, but weak financial regulations and growing demand left him having to do more with less. Longer waiting lists since the pandemic, in addition to an aging population, also mean that practices are often treating patients with more complex or multiple conditions.

In addition, GPs and their teams face increasing bureaucracy, which often causes them to waste time on vital tasks. patient care. This is frustrating for them because they want to provide the best possible care to their patients rather than filling out paperwork.

So it was with great pleasure that we heard the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, announce last month that the Government would launch a Paperwork Challenge reducing bureaucracy in a bid to free up more time for GPs to spend with patients.

We support this challenge and believe it is right for NHS England to work with stakeholders across the country to tackle the problem of excessive bureaucracy. But we know that this problem does not only concern general medicine. Other elements of the system – such as secondary care – should not be neglected.

While we look forward to working with NHS England to tackle this challenge, we already know of some key measures that could reduce the bureaucratic burden on systems.

Our members tell us that the lack of digital interoperability between different providers increases the bureaucratic burden on GPs. This can lead, in extreme cases, to reports of patients taking days or weeks to move between hospitals and primary care.

Lack of funding and diverse digital infrastructure also mean that clinicians often use outdated software on poorly functioning hardware. This leads to poor outcomes for patients and staff. We need to make it easier for hospitals and GPs to communicate, talk and share information about patients, which should reduce bureaucracy for staff in both sectors.

Digital interoperability between the NHS and pharmacies can also be difficult at times. This lack of communication can lead to patients being prescribed medications that are out of stock. This risks reducing NHS patient satisfaction if people feel pushed from pillar to post between their surgery and pharmacy to get the prescription they need. This could be avoided with better digital integration, particularly if GPs could see what stock pharmacies have.

Improving inter-system communication and access to relevant IT systems should be a priority.

GPs need to be helped to embrace the digital age. According to a study led by a team at the Oxford Internet Institute and funded by The Health Foundation, almost half of administrative tasks in doctors’ offices could be automated. This would be a significant change that could free up countless hours of needed patient time without losing full-time jobs.

Another area that could be addressed is the current GP contract, which may require our members to focus on performance to achieve key national objectives. Removing these indicators can reduce the bureaucracy faced by primary care teams and allow them to more effectively prioritize their resources based on the specific needs of their local communities.

By Professor Aruna Garcea, Chair of the NHS Confederation Primary Care Network