NHS officials respond to ‘shocking shortage’ of GPs across Horsham and Mid Sussex

Health chiefs have responded to ‘shocking’ figures which show that Horsham and Mid Sussex are among the worst areas in the country for GP access.

Members of the Horsham and Mid Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group say that they are working closely with local GP practices to develop new ways of working to meet growing demand.

Analysis by the BBC has shown that Horsham and Mid Sussex have 2,997 patients per GP, second only to Swale in Kent which has 3,342.

The Royal College of GPs called the news ‘shocking’ and said shortages of GPs could put care at risk.

But a spokesman for the Horsham and Mid Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group said: “NHS Horsham and Mid Sussex CCG is working closely with local GP Practices and regional workforce planning teams to develop new ways of working to meet growing demand for primary care and address our GP recruitment challenges.

“Patients are living longer and with increasingly complex needs, which means we need to adapt how we care for them. We must be smarter about how we use and broaden the variety of skilled healthcare professionals within primary care (in line with the recently published NHS Long Term Plan), and address many of the pressures placed upon GPs as individuals.

“We are already working very differently to ensure we make the most of the wider NHS workforce. For example in Horsham and Mid Sussex: