To think this budget will finish us off

[BurnoutGP]

I am a GP Partner of over 20 years. I am now senior partner for the last few years. We have seen year on year below inflation funding increase. With an explosion in demand and massive shift of work from secondary care. We have issues wirh recruitment.
Our partner income is shrinking year on year. We are now always overdrawn and this gets worse every month.
We just cannot soak up the MLW and NI without adequate resource uplift.
I think we will be done. I'm so very tired of the constant battle and the demand and anger while working "part time" 60hr weeks.
We will have to hand back our contract. And we wont be the only one. That will leave one surviving practice in my area.
I'm done.

I am surprised your staff are on NMW, is that normal for people working in GP businesses? Genuine question.

Some of our lower paid staff/new staff/inexperienced staff are yes. We employ 30 odd non doctors from cleaners to inexperienced admin staff etc. Not all GP staff are doctors you get that right??

Same. I work in a university, training future healthcare professionals. Our university is already in financial dire straits. The NI increase will compound the imminent job cuts. There will simply not be the staff to give good quality training to the nurses who go and work in our city. Dressing this up as not impacting the individual is simply not true. Many, many of us will feel the repercussions of this

Sorry to hear this op

can you get other income streams? Private counsellors/chiropodists etc renting rooms? Offer flu jabs like boots do for people who aren’t eligible for free ones?

When you're 10k overdrawn every month then more outgoings and increases every month will be just more than we can run a business with.

We have maximised every income stream possible. Cut outgoings as much as we can. Unfortunately our building is old and not really fit for purpose. We don't have space to function daily never mind extra. The new build we were promised funding for before covid is now well and truly shelved.

I really don't know why the minimum wage has increased yet again. It increased significantly not too long ago. Many skilled jobs aren't much better paid after student loan repayments, plus many skilled jobs are salaried whereas many unskilled can take on extra hours and end up better off.

Tbh, I don’t blame you. The ers NI cost is ridiculous. Even without the additional 1.2% the movement of the threshold makes it £615 more expensive for each employee. There’s then the increased cost on NMW then expectation that those not on NMW will maintain a wage differential.

I hear you OP. We run a pub. The uptick in minimum wage, plus the uptick in employer's national insurance contribution, plus all of that being passed on to us from our suppliers as well, is finishing us.

Thanks OP. Yes of course. I was curious that’s all. I am sorry you’re facing this. I clearly know nothing about running a Gp business, but I think it’s a shame to say the least that you have to operate like a business at all. GPs are special and critical to all our health, and deserve not to be facing what you are. I’m sorry if my question was insensitive.

Yes our experienced older staff are now paid much the same as new starters. Or not far off.

I don't think the social care sector can survive this. The frontline workers absolutely deserve to be paid more than NMW. But the funding isn't available to support this extra cost, nor the cost of ensuring team leaders etc receive an equivalent pay increase.

It won't solve the retention problem, because it'll still be the case that employees can earn the same in retail or similar rather than having to do personal care or be subject to attack by the people they're supporting.

I was really hoping that Labour government would recognise the vital skill and value that social care workers provide for the country.

If you look at a workers salary, then look at what goes to the government in income tax and NICs out of that salary, then add on the employer’s NIC the profit to the government of each employee is massive.

Apologies for snapping. I'm so tired of fighting to keep our practice going. Of battling incessant demand. Of providing a safe service.
Yesterday I admitted a 3month old who had meningitis. Only 25 years of experience and the spider sense picked it out of the 40 patient long urgent list.

history will not look kindly on this government

Let’s give it more than three months, shall we?

No apology needed OP. It’s horrific what you’re having to deal with. It’s just wrong.

🙄

From small to big businesses this is terrible...there will be headcount reductions everywhere. Won't happen straight away but over time there won't be many jobs available. We have 2 spare headcount in our team I can see that disappearing to be honest. Companies with shareholders need to turn a profit so either cost of goods and services goes up to cover the cost or jobs go.

What's your actual income? My GP friend got £140k last year. Poor area of the NW. 3 partners. He works 3.5 days pw. I know salaried GPs on less.

No worries we’re stuck with 5 years of this shit, there will be plenty of other complete fuck ups that will destroy our economy and society what history can judge this shambles of a government on.

I’ve followed the budget reasonably closely but I confess I’d missed the wider implications of the employers’ NI increase. Does it apply to all businesses in all areas, without amelioration for public v private sector - so schools, universities, the NHS, GPs’ practices, TfL, etc will all be hit, along with Starbucks, Barclays and Tescos?

I was going to say sometimes people who are great at on aspect are not so good at other areas. You are adept at saving lives and maybe not managing balance sheets.
Then I considered you shouldn’t be distracted by balance sheets but on your core skills of saving lives.
Honestly there is no fairness. I work in an industry where new people are on 60k in their early 20’s and they feel hard done by.

They have bleated on about we are the party who will get growth back and today they announced GDP growth will go up for next or 2, peaking at 2% then it starts going back down to 1.5% ...ermmmmm this was the party about growth...