General Practice in England: The Current Crisis, Opportunities, and Challenges

General practice or family medicine has historically been lauded as the “jewel in the crown” of the English National Health Service (NHS) (M. Marshall, 2015). General practice, at the heart of primary care, has continued to contribute to the high ranking of the NHS in international comparisons (M. S. Razai & A. Majeed, 2021) and evidence from several decades of research has shown that general practice in the UK has improved the nation’s health (Royal College of General Practitioners, 2013). Furthermore, it has provided equitable, cost-effective, and accessible care for all with the flexibility to adapt rapidly to a changing society and political climates, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic when there was rapid implementation of remote consultation models (Royal College of General Practitioners, 2013). However, this much-admired public sector service has recently come under unprecedented political and media spotlight instigated by the pressures of the current pandemic on the NHS (M. S. Razai & A. Majeed, 2021). This coupled with collapsing morale among general practitioners (GPs), a shrinking GP workforce, inexorable demands, increasing workload, and decreasing real-terms per capita funding have caused many to sound alarm on a general practice in “crisis” (C. Gerada, 2021). In this article, we describe the evolving nature of general practice and the current crisis, as well as potential solutions and opportunities going forward.