General practice key to survival of NHS, say experts

[Northerner]

General practice is key to the survival of the NHS. If it fails, so will the whole health service, argue Professor Martin Roland and Sir Sam Everington in an editorial* published in The BMJ today.

But focusing on hospital financial deficits is diverting attention away from the crisis in general practice, they insist.

Hospitals’ £2bn deficit “certainly sounds dramatic”, they argue, “but hospitals don’t go bust – someone usually picks up the bill.” General practice doesn’t have that luxury, and its share of the NHS budget has fallen from 11% in 2006 to under 8.5% now.

Recent research shows that GPs are experiencing unprecedented levels of stress amid a steadily increasing workload. GPs are finding it harder to recruit trainees and to find partners to replace those increasingly taking early retirement.

Politicians and NHS leaders want more care to be moved into primary care, yet the share of funding devoted to general practice is falling, as hospitals eat up a large chunk of the NHS budget.

http://www.onmedica.com/newsArticle.aspx?id=624b4e35-22c0-4c5a-b189-63903e4b49f2

 

[TheClockworkDodo]

One of the GPs at my surgery has just taken early retirement due to ill health, and they're frantically looking for a new partner. Not that he is much of a loss to the NHS (one of the worst GPs I've met) but it puts such a huge pressure on the other 2 GPs and the nurses there, struggling to keep going with a mixture of locums and doing extra work themselves.

 

[trophywench]

Ha ha, 2 out of the 4 partners both retired 18 months ago now. One was 'head of practice' and I've not heard any more of him - but the other, the one I was originally registered with and whom I like very much - is more or less on permanent 'locumship' these days.

I started going to another one, was very impressed with him, he was made a partner so oh goody, he'll be long lasting then, my next apt was already arranged for in a month. I arrived and 'Sorry Dr M is no longer with us so you've been allocated to Dr someone else'

Never heard of that person so I asked who he was only to be informed he was a she and she'd been there 4 years. I still haven't met her - yet the one you are allocated to is supposed to oversee that everything that should be done for you has been or is being done. How the hell can they when they have never met you?

 

[trophywench]

My annual diabetes check at the surgery is due so I've had bloods done and the check is Monday. However I've had a letter asking me to make 'A routine appointment with any doctor'. Excuse me, for your info, this isn't part of MY routine - if it's part of yours well at least tell me WHY. It isn't to renew my scrips - none of them need renewing. They renew em when they get the blood test etc results.

There are normally at least 6 different docs on duty at ours however the online booking service only shows the two remaining partners and the (retired) one plus one other doctor who has been there a while who I actually quite liked until she spouted such a load of bollards at me one day last year - I said I was a bit concerned I might have peripheral artery disease in view of the terrible pain in one calf when walking and she looked me straight in the eye and shrugged as she said 'Well of course you have! - it's inevitable ..' and I fully expected he to say '.. because you've smoked for 50 years!' instead of which she rendered me gobsmacked when she said instead '... because you are diabetic!'

I eventually managed 'Whaat?' and she reiterated it. I said then I thought that was rubbish and if it wasn't, why the hell isn't it being publicised by DUK and the medical profession? She shrugged again - end of appointment. Didn't even offer to examine me, check my pulses etc.

Bloody disgusting and yes I did complain and yes I did make an immediate appointment to see someone else. Who examined me properly and referred me to the hospital.

Anyway so I excluded her from the search of the other three and the very first time I can see any of them is at 08.50 am on 22 March. Then 3.30pm on 30th, and then a few here and there from 4th April. Lots available between 07.30 and 09.00 of course !! Would have suited me down to the ground when I was working, that would but sorry - I'm retired now and I don't get up that early any more. And anyway the place is full of screaming kids, most of their brothers and sisters seem to come too, together with pushchairs at that time. Nightmare just getting there (7 mins in the car, too far to walk) because of all the Chelsea tractors at the 3 schools you pass, plus the lollipop ladies and crossings and traffic lights and other rush hour traffic by now all a bit late for work and you can never get on their carpark so it's usually a 3 or 4 minute walk from wherever you have to stop.

Babies WILL cry and scream when they are ill - fair dos we know that - and anyway the little beggars have millions of germs that they are all busy spreading amongst everyone present, same as they do at nursery and at school - for all these reasons I wouldn't normally choose to go at that time - unless, you know, I was actually ILL or worried that was ill.

So unless they can tell me anything sooner that's convenient when I go on Monday, by then it will be about the middle of April ........

Anything involving the NHS unfortunately takes huge chunks out of anybody's life these days - even when they aren't actually poorly. It's quite unmanageable to have to be tied down, just in case they want to see you about eg your first cataract removal or something about Pete's latest blood test for his cancer.

 

[TheClockworkDodo]

Good luck! They may say that having gone in for the diabetes check, you then don't need to see a doctor at all, of course - I've had that before, just someone seeing you have test results and not realising you are already going in about them, so wasting time and money and getting you stressed over nothing at all by sending out a form letter.

We have found you need to ring or go in to book appointments rather than trying to use online booking service, because online booking just doesn't have all the appointments listed on it (or indeed, as you say, all the doctors listed on it 🙄). Which is a bit of a problem for us as I'm unable to use the phone due to the cognitive dysfunction caused by my ME (people get suspicious when you ring them up and then can't remember your postcode ... or your date of birth ... or, on one memorable occasion, your own name). So R has to ring for me, and they make a fuss about him not being me, and he has to explain, and then he has to insist that I see the same doctor every time because my medical problems are far too complicted to explain to a new doctor every time, especially given the aforementioned cognitive dysfunction ...