CBI in GP services reform call

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said the cost to the economy of restricted opening times, difficulty in booking appointments and the "limited number of services on offer in many GP surgeries" was more than £1 billion.

The business group said people should be able to register at more than one surgery so they could visit a doctor close to where they work in a bid to speed up treatment.

Deputy director-general John Cridland said changes were needed to tackle the 175 million days being lost every year because of ill-health. "We need a GP service that fits around people's lives, offering convenience and flexibility," he said.

Mr Cridland stressed that the CBI was not criticising GPs but believed the system was not working effectively.

The CBI's report, Just What The Patient Ordered, said more over-the-counter advice from pharmacists would help break the link between where people lived and their access to healthcare.

A survey of 1,000 adults by the CBI showed that one in three found it difficult to book an appointment with a doctor at a time convenient to them.

The business group warned that people could be off work for longer than was necessary because of delays in seeking treatment.

A separate study of 200 doctors by high street giant Boots suggested that 3.5 million working days are lost every year because of time spent at the doctor's - more than four times as much as is lost to industrial action.

Mr Cridland added: "Billions of pounds of taxpayers' money is being spent on a GP system which seems unable to respond to patients' needs. Official figures show 10 million adults in England alone cannot book an appointment with a GP more than 48 hours in advance. It is time there was real and fundamental reform with the needs of the patient coming first."