WIREDGOV

The Patients Association have called for the Department of Health to follow through on its promise to abolish GP practice boundaries and allow patients to register with any practice.

Celia Grandison-Markey, interim Chair of the Patients Association said,

“For years we have been told that patients will be allowed to register with any GP even if they live outside the practice boundaries yet we are still waiting for this to happen. The Patients Association hears from patients phoning our Helpline that it is not always easy to be registered with a GP close to where they live and they would prefer to be with a practice close to their work or near their child’s school.

However, we do not expect the removal of practice boundaries to lead to a huge uprooting of patients changing practices. We hear from many patients who really value their relationship with their GP -  a relationship which they have built up over many years - and are happy with the practice they are in. In addition, many patients are unable to change GPs - for example, patients who live in a rural community and have only one GP practice in their area, or older patients and those with mobility issues who can’t physically access a GP practice in a location that is not close to their home. The Government has promised patients choice in the NHS, and the removal of practice boundaries and they must honour this. But they must also ensure they provide clarity as to how they will support patients who want to exercise this choice but do not have the  means to do so.”