The BMA have issued guidance to GPs in Wales on what is considered to be a safe workload. This is a fantastic resource to enable you to:

1. Direct patients to the appropriate NHS service

2. Determine a level of safe working for your organisation

3. Apply safe working levels to your duty doctor

4. Consider moving to 15 minute appointments

If you are finding that your workload is sustained at an unmanageable level you should:

1. Inform the Health Board through the usual escalation process

2. Consider reviewing your practice arrangement for access

3. Push back on inappropriate workload

4. Highlight indirect patient complaints about government policy to empower patients to approach the relevant organisations

5. Consider reducing provision of supplementary services to maintain core services

6. Consider formal list closure

If you are at risk of an inability to provide your contracted level of service then you should discuss this with the GP Sustainability Assessment Framework with the Health Board. Please contact us if you need to regarding any aspect of the above guidance