Doctor, Doctor!
I guarantee the topic of today’s blog is going to have many regular readers nodding along in agreement, as I’m sure I can’t be the only person affected or annoyed by the difficulties we often have in getting appointments with our own GP. Calling the receptionist at my local surgery has become a masterclass in negotiation techniques as I try and persuade her that my problem is worthy of one of that day’s precious emergency appointments. What really gets up my nose is when the glorified office assistant on the other end of the phone has the cheek to ask me what’s wrong, as if she can then decide whether I need to see a doctor that day. Last time I checked receptionists were not qualified for doctor jobs!
It’s obvious that there are not enough doctors working as GPs in this country. Whether this is because the government is not providing the funds to employ them, or they are all being attracted into better-paid and more “glamorous” lines of medicine like surgery, I don’t know. Perhaps the increased popularity of private medicine is stealing potential family doctors away from the NHS. Whatever the problem, it’s clear that working as a GP is no longer an attractive option after you’ve spent years and thousands of pounds training at medical school.
My own stepfather quit as a GP several years ago, to take on a job as an assessor with the Benefits Agency. He said he had become disillusioned with the increased paperwork he had to do, which was cutting down his time with patients. New surgery managers were bringing in rules about home visits, which as a doctor in a rural community he disagreed with. If the NHS is driving out experienced doctors like him, to replace them with bored graduates waiting for their chance to jump into private practice, it’s no wonder we can never get an appointment when we need one.
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