David, Birmingham Socialist Party
Since October last year, NHS England has removed nearly half a million people from GPs’ registered patient lists. These ‘ghost patients’ have been removed because they are thought to have died, moved away, or otherwise no longer use the practice. Naturally, this type of data cleaning is important for providing accurate funding and planning services.
However, most General Practice core funding is based on the size of their patient list, with GPs paid an average of around £180 per patient, the patients deleted so far represent around £90 million in annual funding at stake. Yet, NHS England plans to identify many more such ‘ghost patients’. Additionally, GPs in the most deprived areas have seen a disproportionately large reduction in their patient numbers. Once again, it’s the poor who are being hit the hardest!
Doctors have also expressed concern at the “aggressive” pace of these reductions. Not only does it make it nearly impossible for GPs to manage their finances, but many patients have been removed in error. Almost 70% of practices reported documented evidence of patients being incorrectly removed. This can create barriers to treatment, particularly for the most vulnerable in society, including patients losing access to their repeat prescriptions. The doctors’ union, the BMA, said the process was “seriously flawed” and has called on NHS England to pause the exercise.
These stealth cuts come at a time when the NHS is already stretched to breaking point. The demand for healthcare is constantly increasing. However, between 2015 and 2024, the number of GP practices in England fell by 17%, with the number of full-time equivalent GPs falling by 7%. What’s more, the increasing levels of privatisation of healthcare services mean that more public money ends up in the pockets of shareholders instead of funding the healthcare our country so desperately needs.
The trade union movement, in particular the health unions, must actively fight back against all cuts to the NHS. All NHS privatisation must be reversed, and other vital areas of healthcare, including GPs, dentistry, and social care, should be brought under democratic workers’ control, and all services completely free at the point of use. The resources to do this are there, but locked up in the hands of big business. We need to nationalise the big pharmaceutical companies, the medical suppliers and the outsourcers. Only then can we finally build a healthcare system that is well funded, efficient, and fit for purpose.
