Solving two problems for the price of one #4

A funding crisis and increased demand for care means general practice as patients know it in the UK is "under severe threat of extinction", the head of the Royal College of GPs has warned. The royal college's president, Dr Maureen Baker, said failing to properly fund GP surgeries could have an impact on the sustainability of the NHS. Some practices were already closing due to lack of staff, she said. The Department of Health said it recognised the "vital" job GPs do.

Fraud is costing the NHS £5bn a year, with a further £2bn lost to errors, the former head of its anti-fraud section says. The amount lost to fraud alone could pay for nearly 250,000 new nurses, a report seen by Panorama suggests. The NHS must "get on with tackling the problem", said Jim Gee, co-author of the Portsmouth University study and ex-director of NHS Counter Fraud Services. The Department of Health said it "did not recognise" the figures.