According to a report from the Health Foundation, they have warned that general practices will suffer a serious shortfall of GPs and nurses over the next 10 years. The Health Foundation’s REAL centre says the government needs to take ‘urgent’ action now to avert an escalating crisis in general practice, and recruiting more first contact physiotherapists could be part of the solution.

In its analysis of workforce projections, the REAL centre’s findings show that the NHS in England is likely to have a shortage of around 10,700 permanent GPs by 2030/31 – this has been calculated in relation to the expected number of GPs that will be needed to meet a rising need for care.

Due to the excessive workload and cutbacks, it’s been estimated that an increasing number of GPs will likely leave due to being overworked. First Contact Practitioners are a vital part of making sure patients get the best care possible and reducing pressure on GPs.

“Its benefit is that it does save GP appointments, it gets people’s problems sorted out. They just don’t come back, they’re not coming for sick notes, or pain medication. The contact with Sano Physiotherapy has been, in my opinion, excellent.”