GPs in England too ‘overloaded’ to help older people at risk of falling, say MPs

Key Takeaways

• GPs in England are so “overloaded” that they cannot help older people who are at risk of falling in what NHS bosses accept is an unacceptable failure of care, the House of Commons’ public accounts committee has said.
• Pressure on GPs’ time has intensified as a result of the government’s decision to give patients online access to their services, according to a report by the influential cross-party group of MPs.
• The committee found that GPs are doing too little to tackle falls even though they are the most common cause of death from injury among over-65s, cause tens of thousands of hip fractures, add to hospitals’ workloads and cost the UK an estimated £4.4bn a year.
• Family doctors in England are obliged under the terms of their contract to identify, assess and support people over 65 with moderate or severe frailty.
• However, “many GPs are not currently able to deliver on these requirements”.