Important Notice for our Patients

Dear Patients,

We are writing to inform you of a significant change that will affect the care we provide at Harston Surgery.

As you may have heard in the recent budget, the Government has recently announced an increase to employer National Insurance (NI) contributions, which are the taxes businesses like ours must pay on behalf of our staff. NHS organisations have been told they will receive additional funding to reimburse costs of this increase, but they have explicitly stated that this compensation will not apply to GP practices.

While we remain committed to delivering the best possible care, these changes will have important implications for general practice, including:

• Recruitment and Retention Challenges: The higher NI contributions place additional financial pressure on our practice and PCN. This cost will regrettably make it harder to recruit and/or retain the skilled healthcare professionals who provide essential services, meaning we may face shortages or reduced staffing levels.
• Increased Strain on Existing Staff: With rising operational costs and fewer staff, our current team will face greater pressures, potentially leading to longer wait times or reduced availability for appointments and medication, particularly for non-urgent or routine care.
• Potential Service Reductions: To manage these increased costs, we may have to adjust how we deliver care, which would impact appointment availability, waiting times, and access to certain services.
• Planning your care provision: The NI cost increase starts in April 2025. Planning our services and appointment provision relies on knowing which staff we can fund within the budget we have, and obviously needs to be done several months in advance of the actual patient contact. Full clarity over the financial situation is therefore needed urgently – by January 2025.

We are committed to doing everything we can to minimize the impact on your care, but this new financial strain on our practice is significant, and we are not alone in facing these challenges. General practices across the country are feeling the pressure, which could have long-term consequences for patients.

The chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, Professor Kamila Hawthorne, has said the extra NIC costs ‘will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back’ for some practices, with some being forced to ‘make tough decisions on redundancies’ or even close their doors. This has already occurred (prior to the NI rise) in several local GP practices.

What You Can Do

We believe it’s important that policymakers understand how this change affects not only healthcare providers but also the patients who rely on these services. We encourage you to share your concerns directly with your local Member of Parliament (MP). By writing to your MP, you can help ensure that the government is aware of the pressure these increased contributions place on general practices and how it impacts the care you receive.

Here’s how you can help:

• Write a letter or email to your MP explaining how these changes may affect you and your access to care, and ask them to ensure GP practices are reimbursed in full for the NI employer contribution rise.
• Share your experiences and concerns about longer waiting times or potential reductions in services.
• Encourage others to do the same, so that the voices of patients and communities are heard.

The recent Darzi report about the state of the NHS confirms that GP surgeries are consistently working at or above maximal funded capacity – yet we know this is still not meeting our patient needs*.

You can find your MP’s contact details on the WriteToThem website.

Thank you for your understanding and support. Together, we can make sure our concerns are heard and that general practice continues to be allowed to serve you and our community effectively.

Yours faithfully,

The team at Harston Surgery

Published: Nov 15, 2024