The move follows the East Belfast MLA’s recognition that difficulty accessing GP services is a frequent concern raised by constituents, which led to her on-going campaign to improve this situation.
Judith Cochrane MLA said: “In February 2014 my attention was drawn to the Royal College of General Practitioner’s (RCGP) ‘Put Patients First: Back General Practice’ campaign. It was at this point I realised something must be done to support GPs across Northern Ireland – especially as 90% of patient contact takes place in GP surgeries that are only receiving 8% of health service funding.
“I believe this is a valuable survey and if you are a GP based in Northern Ireland – whether a partner, salaried employee, or trainee – I want to hear your views. This is a chance for GPs across Northern Ireland to shape the success of future lobbying for change.
“Over the past few months I have gained a valuable insight into the role GPs play in local communities, through both the RCGP campaign and taking the opportunity to spend time in a local surgery to experience ‘a day in the life’ of a GP practice for myself. This, along with the on-going problems faced by my constituents, led me to work with the RCGP to compile this survey.
“As we move forward I will continue to lobby the Health Minister – with the aim of meeting the RCGP’s goal of increasing GP funding from 8%-11% – but I would urge all GPs to take the opportunity and time to complete this survey, helping to shape their own future.”
The following link will direct you to an anonymous survey, which should take no more than eight minutes to complete.