Father fears GP industrial action endangers daughter with life-limiting conditions

A father expresses concern that industrial action by general practitioners might endanger his daughter, who lives with life-limiting health conditions. Rachel Krysiak, residing in Downend near Bristol, experiences a complex array of health conditions, necessitating 24-hour care from her parents. Bob Krysiak, her father, stated that the work-to-rule action, involving some general practitioners restricting patient numbers and ceasing work outside contracted hours, has the potential to interfere with his daughter’s specialist medical care. The British Medical Association (BMA) initiated this action in August, citing a dispute with the government regarding what it describes as insufficient funding. The government, conversely, asserts that an additional £311 million has been allocated to GP practices. Ms. Krysiak, aged 52, receives treatment for neurological and renal conditions from multiple hospital specialists, who collaborate with community GPs. Mr. Krysiak reported receiving correspondence from the Downend Health Group, which cautioned that the GP surgery would not assume responsibility for prescribing medications initiated by hospital specialists. He informed the BBC that he was “shocked,” further stating that his primary concern is the potential risk to his daughter’s life. He elaborated, “Hospital specialists are continuously monitoring Rachel’s health and keeping her alive frankly, because she would have actually died on several occasions in the past.” He continued, “That means changing her medications… and updating them for the GP practices, for the community, to take over managing those medications.” “According to the letter from the practice… if Rachel is discharged with a medication that has been started in hospital… that won’t be followed up in the community, which is crazy. It’s unsafe,” he stated. The BBC has sought comment from the Downend Health Group. The BMA acknowledged that it cannot preclude patients from experiencing harm due to the work-to-rule action, but asserted its aim is to avert a more significant detriment. Dr. Lucy-Jane Davis, chair of British Medical Association South West, commented, “I don’t have a crystal ball. What will put patients at risk is the reality of the lack of funding.” She added, “We have talked about the closure of surgeries across Bristol and into Chard, and we are looking at the fact that some surgeries are going to have to hand their contract back and there will be no GPs left. That’s the really big risk.” General practitioner practices engaged in industrial action have been recommending that patients seek assistance from their pharmacies. However, the National Pharmacy Association has also recently voted to undertake comparable action, which will result in the cessation of free deliveries. Ade Williams, a pharmacist at Bedminster Pharmacy, stated: “The truth is we’re in a situation where the community pharmacy network is already fracturing. This action is to make sure we don’t see a massive collapse of that.” NHS England has issued a warning that the work-to-rule initiative will not only interrupt GP services but also impact A&E waiting times and postpone referrals for procedures like knee and hip operations. The Avon Local Medical Committee, which serves as a representative body for family doctors, commented: “The reason for action is because GPs have had three consecutive contract impositions and they are unable to deliver safe patient care within the current funding envelope. The impact of the recent budget has exacerbated these funding challenges.” It further indicated that the action has been coordinated across practices in Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire to achieve “maximum impact.” A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care affirmed the government’s commitment to recruiting over 1,000 newly qualified GPs and noted that an additional £311 million has already been invested in GP practices. She stated: “The NHS is broken, and the Secretary of State has been clear he wants to work with doctors to get it back on its feet so it works for patients and staff. We have taken tough decisions to fix the foundations so a £26bn boost for the NHS and social care could be announced at the budget.” For updates, follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X, and Instagram. Story ideas can be submitted via email or WhatsApp at 0800 313 4630. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding the BBC’s approach to external linking is available.