If you want to look at the bigger picture, possibly the most fundamental problem we have in England is that there aren't enough doctors. Despite the capacity pr

If you want to look at the bigger picture, possibly the most fundamental problem we have in England is that there aren't enough doctors. Despite the capacity problems and delays at GP surgeries that most of us have experienced at some point, there has been a downward trend in the full-time-equivalent GPs per capita in England over the past decade or so. https://fullfact.org/health/gp-numbers-or-down/ https://fullfact.org/health/gp-numbers-or-down/ It's also likely that the decreasing availability of GP appointments is causing an increase in people turning up at major A&E centres instead, where it may cost far more to treat them for a non-urgent condition that a GP could have dealt with instead if one had been available within a reasonable period. Just to add to the pressure, we also have a population that is living longer, so GPs may increasingly be helping the elderly to manage multiple conditions as well. Reducing non-clinical overheads for doctors that take time away from patient care is certainly important, but the bottom line is that our society needs more doctors or the quality of healthcare will continue to decline.