I included this article in Star's post about her experiences with a less than helpful Physio, rather than seeing a GP. But I'm not sure it will necessarily be widely viewed as its a bit buried. I thought it was of interest and potentially of concern to forum members so I'm reposting it.
Let me know what you think.
Plus an aging population and unlike e.g. Australia the UK doesn't restrict entry of people with long term chronic conditions. We haven't been prepared to pay enough for decent healthcare preferring to spend on other things. Consequently we get second rate individuals, especially in non clinical roles. I worked as a computer programmer, the trade press jad a separate section for public sector jobs. This was convenient because they paid around thirty percent less, so we could skip that section. You get what you pay for, so the NHS ended up with hopeless computer systems. They didn't have sufficient skilled people to develop their own systems and so were at the mercy of software companies with their armies of lawyers who would draft contracts to their advantage. Remember Chose and Book? Around £30 billion wasted on that.
For a hapeth of tar.
Yes we want champagne public services but on a lemonade budget.
No. We don't want champagne budgets. Just cup of tea level, as before.
This is exactly the rot in the NHS - Managers who don’t know what they don’t know - and they treat their ‘budget ‘ like monopoly money. Years ago I sold a multi million pound contract to a large Acute Trust - their IT Director was a brilliant guy and we got on well - but the rest of the people involved were plainly hopeless. During the contract negs I spent 5 months with two sets of specialist NHS Lawyers - from two Firms, and a contracted Project Manger, and none of them understood the service , commercials , or risks to either Party.
What became obvious was that I needed to contract against losses we could incur as a supplier if the NHS failed to implement efficiently. And sure enough, 3 years in we had to invoke this. I have never had to do this for any other sector - banking, central govt, insurance , manufacturing, retail. etc.
You wouldn’t believe how many times I tried to prevent Trusts from wasting money on programmes that couldn’t work.
Mental Health Trusts and Social Services are the worst of all.
It's a sad truth that the organisations that most need external IT expertise are least able to negotiate or understand contracts, let alone know what system they really need. In computing you need to recruit the best.
This applies very much to their drug procurement too. Well in fact almost anything to do with the NHS money. Certainly we have very poor endocrinology services.
I am not sure but I stand corrected. I live in France with roughly the same population as the UK but about 5/6 times larger in area. I believe that per person the cost is about the same as in the UK. Here same day appointments with a GP and new hospitals springing up everywhere plus home visit by the nurse. I don't necessary think that the GP's are any different in their treatment for Thyroid patients though. Also no private blood tests.
This makes sense. Working in computing 25 years ago we were taught to have a 'hit the desk once' strategy, to try and deal with any issue straight away so that there's no need for passing it on or managing schedules. It's just so much more efficient to see a GP quickly, someone who has an idea of your history. France is lucky in having more land to build new hospitals as they will be more efficient and cheaper to run.
Yes we are lucky in the large land size equals much lower prices for housing and of course hospitals. Hit the desk once I like it makes good sense too.
Indeed. I did several IT audits for the NHS in different hospitals and was appalled by the mishmash of kit, lack of security, lack of coherent policies covering purchases and so on. And that was before the You can't "Choose and Book" if you're lucky farce.
I keep copies of all my messages and documents on NHS systems in preparation for when they are lost or subject to ransomware.
I feel news pieces like these paint a bad picture, when it can be good to see a range of professionals in a practice. In fact, what it is described by the article is what many good surgery’s have now.
I personally like seeing the right professional for my needs and preferences. Seeing the GP just to be referred to physio seems like a waste of time and appointment. Mine, theirs, and unfair on other patients that need to speak to the GP.
And, wouldn’t it be better for all of us if when we did need to a see GP they had more time to more throughly assess us?
But it comes down to whether the person who sees you is knowledgeable enough to know whether they should send you home with an exercise sheet and some painkillers or refer you to a surgeon. And honestly, I don’t believe for a second that those with a lower level of training are going to be able to be informed enough to always make the right decision. It’s already hit and miss—it’s going to get a lot worse.
case in point ... ( see replies from last night / this morning ) : healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...
doctors appt , that turned out to be a 'health advisor' advising about recent blood test results (on levo~ TSH over 5) ~had no idea that hypo causes raised cholesterol , and no ability to prescribe levo increase ...., total waste of everyone's time.
Oh, heaven help us. Future isn’t looking bright, is it? 
It’s a real “computer says no” situation.
That said, maybe AI will actually be better?
Well, I suppose AI will only be as good as the person who programmed it.
Initially, perhaps… but AI learns by algorithms and will eventually supersede the person who programmed it.
Having seen examples of the AI food recipes recently published, I have less faith in algorithms abilities.
I didn’t say it learned well, just that it learned…
🤣
But it reads the rubbish as well as the good stuff and can't tell the difference, so...
The other thing about all this—who will ultimately be accountable when it all goes wrong? Who is overseeing this army of barely-trained assistants who might as well be working in a call centre working from a script?
Who’ll carry the can when patients sue the NHS because they were horrifically let down?
I can see parallels with what’s been said about Grenfell today—that there were multiple points of failure.
Grenfell enquiry finding:
The policy of cutting regulations so dominated government thinking that "even matters affecting the safety of life were ignored, delayed or disregarded."
Spot the difference…
The problem is that at our GP’s practice some of the GP’s don’t always have the knowledge needed but due to cost don’t/wont refer to hospital specialists. My GP told me for 12 years that my TSH was fine at 4,5,6 etc whilst on Thyroxine. It wasn’t till I was admitted to hospital that I got to see an Endocrinologist. The same happened with my Epilepsy being told it was panic attacks. A lot of GP’s in my opinion don’t know much more than other health professionals. Years ago there were GP’s who had extra interest in certain areas so if it was a skin problem for example you would be sent to that relevant GP No one can be Jack of all trades. It’s very worrying.
But it should be a case of as well as, not instead of. A physio has a particular skill set, they are not qualified to diagnose for example. Nor can they prescribe. Plus in my pretty extensive experience of physios they do assume exercise is the answer to everything. In certain cases and with the right exercises it can be very helpful, but not in all.
Similarly there have been serious cases of Advanced Practitioners who have missed potentially fatal problems due to lack of training and experience. They arent qualified doctors.
I think its good that patients have access to a range of skill sets as well but they must be signposted to the right person after being assessed. We dont want something serious like cancer being treated by a physio as a bad back. It unfortunately does smack of plugging the GP gaps and healthcare on the cheap.
A GP is not necessarily better. Everything you stated about other health care professionals is the same with GPs. They miss stuff all the time and some how get away with it. As for prescriptions, pharmacists and others can prescribe too.
There isn’t a perfect system, but I don’t believe that seeing a GP is necessarily better or safer. Frankly. I’m not sure what all the inferred praise for GPs is about when as I mentioned earlier, there are countless posts about useless incompetent GPs in this very forum.
Given the current iteration of a GP—I’d agree with that part. But instead of taking steps to improve their knowledge base, increase numbers of GPs etc, they’re going down the “cheap replacement” route.
And if we get no say in who we get to see, then we’ll likely spend months going around in circles before getting the help we need. And for some, that’ll be too late.
The point I was making is that physios, pharmacists etc should be available alongside GP's, not instead of. I hate the gatekeeper system we have in the UK. I wish we could refer ourselves directly to whoever we need instead of going through GP's. This system isnt for the benefit of patients, its healthcare in crisis and on the cheap.
Having EDS I've probably got more experience of Physios than most. They are a very mixed bag tbh.
My most recent one was to do with my foot, they werent sympathetic when I told them I'd quit the gym due to it making my foot pain worse, kept banging on about the benefits of exercise. Well thanks for stating the bleeding obvious.
However it turns out I've partially dislocated a bone in my foot and my podiatric surgeon has said it might need surgery and putting too much stress on it through exercise could make it much worse. So in my case its a good job I didnt listen to the physio.
I can be considered as EDS hypermobility type, though actually CBS which can present as identical to Marfans. Years ago there was a Scottish Clinic ran with a special interest in EDS, MARFANS and hypermobility. I couldn't be referred as the consultant wanted to retire, had an 18 month waiting list , and no new referrals were being accepted. There was a physio attached to this clinic . She says that the hypermobile should steer clear of any private or NHS physio, unless they are trained to deal with hypermobility. Otherwise, she says they will do you more harm than good. She says hypermobility needs to be treated with small, pilates -type movements, and they don't understand this, and will actually make you worse.
As far as the bone dislocation in your foot is concerned, I consider my feet to have bone dislocations at the cuboid. The cuboid is roughly half way down the outer edge of the foot. My dislocation is caused by having flexible flat feet, which have an arch , and don't look flat, but which flattens on walking. Very common in the hypermobile, and won't be picked up , except by a podiatrist/ biomechanical assessor. The front of my feet twist off to one side, medially. It can't be seen visually. Therefore, I don't have bunions. My mother had horrific bunions. The hypermobile foot will go one way or the other. I think because I wore Dr.Scholls from a young age my feet went the opposite way from my mother's. Because you are hypermobile your feet are biomechanically faulty. A biomechanical assessor will pick it up but not explain the problem to you. Orthotics might help your feet. My orthotics hurt when I wear them at the cuboid, as they are trying to correct a foot fault I have , that hypermobility causes or makes worse. Don't want to hi-jack the post, but lots of us are hypermobile and likely affected by this. Is this where your dislocation is?
Its my navicular which is dislocated. I have flexible flat feet and knock knees, my knees turn inward which puts extra stress on my knees, hips and feet. I've been wearing orthotics for years, NHS custom made ones. Unfortunately they havent helped this time. I do think physios tend to treat EDS patients the same as anyone else. Actually the best physio I had was actually an NHS vestibular physio who had a much better understanding of EDS than anyone else I've spoken to. I was seeing her for balance issues. She suggested Pilates as well.
Because of EDS I'm under the high risk podiatry service. I also have OA, which has been exacerbated by the EDS. If the guided steroid injection doesnt work, then its likely I might need a walking boot to immobilise my foot. If all else fails I might need surgery to rebuild my foot.
I have bulging naviculars, so likely dislocated. I have 2 reflexology qualifications , so know where the navicular and cuboid is, because of this. I have private orthotics which will be thinner than NHS supplied as far as fitting into shoes concerned.I have a leg length difference which you may have too. The longer leg has muscle wastage. I thought it would be the opposite way round, but no. The orthotics I have at the moment, they over-egged it trying to equalise the leg length difference, and i now overwork the leg with the muscle wastage when wearing them. So, he has made the opposite leg now function as the longer leg. I have only been able to realise this by looking at the wear pattern on the soles of the shoes I have worn, exclusively, if out, for 4 years. Check the soles of your shoes you wear most and you will be able to tell where all your weight is falling when walking.
Have you tried Fitflop footwear with the wobble board technology? They might be helpful, especially if they are ankle boots you can lace to support your ankles. The Fitflop site explains the different soles they supply and what effect they have on your foot. You would need to get them from the internet. I wear Birkenstocks mostly, which don't really fit properly, but actually nothing does. My feet love, love, love a toe bar to grip. A toe bar forces you to walk off your big toes, which is how we are supposed to walk. Birkenstocks, again from the internet .
You are actually entitled to custom -made footwear, 1 or 2 pairs on the NHS. I have only been privately for orthotics. At my one and only Endo appointment I asked them to refer me to Podiatry as Endos refer to Podiatry. Apparently though , only if diabetic!!!!
Agreed. So much is luck in which GP, and what they are interested enough in to seek further information. Scary how often it is 'the locum found/diagnosed/tested x' when the usual GP hadn't. So a range of practitioners might possibly be beneficial as long as you can actually see the same one again should you wish, for continuity.
I remember seeing a GP with an interest in dermatology years ago (having been told that I was being referred to a dermatologist!) - he was hopeless, missed some basics, and could give me no useful information as well as being incredibly rude. Going gluten free resolved nearly all of my skin issues (found that for myself) in spite of him saying that food made no difference to the skin and I needed a double course of strong antibiotics. Sigh.
I feel I must stand up for the physios here… I was referred to a physio by a GP and, after her assessment she fast-tracked me to the orthopaedic specialist who, within weeks, put me on the waiting list for a hip replacement. The fact that the waiting list is 18 months long is not their fault (I’m currently 2/3 of the way through) and both of their dealings with me were excellent and, from the physio, not an exercise in sight! Not even a recommendation to walk more! Which I couldn’t if I tried…
I’m glad you shared this experiences. Like you, I have had much better experiences in some instances with allied health professionals than with GPs, including physio.
Me too, I am 100% in favour of physiotherapists. I’m all in favour of triaging patients but at the moment it seems to be a way of keeping patients away from seeing a doctor.
I hate not being able to see the same doctor twice in a row and although I’m old enough to have a ‘named GP ‘ what is the point if it is impossible to get to see them.
Even if you do strike lucky and get to see someone who is good and appears to care , your chances of following up with them - well in my surgery at least - are nil.
Ditto! I don’t think I have seen the same GP twice since the 80s when my kids were little… These days, I’m usually fobbed off with a Registrar who’s doing their 6-month work experience stint in a GP surgery before going back to a hospital… No continuity of care whatsoever! The leading GP spends most of his time recording information messages that are so banal and useless and compulsory to listen to every time you ring up (unless you know which buttons to press to get past them) and sending out letters reminding people to arrange smear/breast or poop tests! I don’t think he sees patients anymore unless he’s the designated “doctor of the day”.
Back in Feb.2022 I fell over badly damaging my knee ( I couldn’t walk only hop) which just wasn’t getting better after 6 weeks, Gp referred me to physio….a lovely senior one who explained he was responsible for triaging to orthopaedics. He though I had a very characteristic damaged meniscus and should have emergency keyhole surgery, but surgeons thought otherwise without even seeing me( saw a nurse practitioner)…decided I needed a full knee replacement instead so still waiting over 2 1/2 years! I had faith in the physio, but not the rest of the team, and feel sorry his expertise was over ridden , regardless of the fact I also had to spend summer 2022 often in a wheelchair. Now have a permanently bent knee but no pain…my chiropractor ( who ‘repairs’ the hips from uneven body) thinks after such a long time I shouldn’t have the op!
I think in that vein, that would be excellent. An ‘expert’ with understanding of thyroid issues would also be an enhancement. However I would not want someone trotting out the banal misunderstood information presently in place. For the same reasons I feel the same about other professional people involved in ‘health’.
Then there are the considerations which someone else brought up just recently. Considerations about who has access to your health info. It seems ok on a kind of global scale (maybe) but think on if one of your neighbours was employed there. Would you really like them knowing the ins and outs of your medical history - especially in the light of some of the information which is downright wrong, displaying more of the attitude of practitioners than the strength of their abilities?
I agree with Jazzw it would need an awful lot more improvement in true expertise to make correct decisions. Misdiagnosis and lack of diagnosis is rife. A friends daughter been complaining about constipation for years, told it was piles, now told her cancer has spread pretty much everywhere and she is just 48. Among less ‘haloed’ professionals it can only be worse in this present situation.
My husband keeps quoting something he saw online about ‘recommendations’ for TV watching. “Netflix knew I was gay before I did”. Well it’s a hell of an assumption based on someone’s viewing habits but ……
GPs are seen as a scarce resource and this is the prime reason they are going down the other professionals route. This as well as not seeing patients un person has disadvantages. Seeing the same GP(s) each time means they know their patients and can spot when something isn't right. The patient doesn't have to explain everything each time.The current trend leads to large practices with requirements for management and supervision, not to mention all the admin of National Insurance, rostering, sick leave etc. (I counted 34 personnel at my surgery last week). We get into the nonsense of calling at 8 am, being triaged by a GP and then getting a call back to say who will call you later. Incredibly inefficient.
I hate not seeing a doctor in person, telephone calls are fine for simple results, diagnosis, ongoing treatment etc. should always be in person. Another consideration, relevant from my last endocrinologist appointment, is that if you see the doctor in person it's easier to spot if they are lying.
Logically, if we are going down the remote medicine route we should be using doctors and medical professionals in countries such as India, Mexico etc. where they are paid a lot less. There's no point in paying UK wages for a GP call centre. I think we should see a GP in person, it's better and ultimately cheaper.
In the longer term I don't see bright young students being attracted to a job that consists of triage management, telephone calls and regulations whilst carrying full responsibility for the safety of the patient. The current trend will lead to fewer doctors.
Try dealing with the appointment system if you are hearing impaired (or just work in a place where you can't take personal calls during work hours). It's impossible.
It always perplexes me why this is NEVER considered when telephone appts are made. I have severe hearing loss in one ear, moderate loss in the other, have been reliant on hearing aids for years. -and I hate phone appointments .
I advocate for my adult daughter who has a severe and enduring mental illness and I recently got ‘told off’ for emailing her SW - and told to “use the Pathway” ie, phone a number answered by a minion. Their arrogance is breathtaking.
I had to push for a f2f Psychiatry appt - apparently most if them ‘work from home’ now - don’t like coming to clinica🤷♂️
I think a change of incentives for GPs would work. If they were paid on the number of people they see instead of number of patients on their books they would be calling us!
Brilliant point!
Doctors love the present system because they hide within it and when we complain they blame the system - a system largely designed and supported by the BMJ and their diagnosis is that the system is fine but it just needs more money which is a trick you can play for ever with useful idiots applauding "our NHS" rather than demanding a competent service to patients.
That would probably lead to far more rushed appointments where you've not had time to sit down before they're saying come back if you have any more problems.
How about rewarding GP's on results? If they keep a patient well, if they solve a patient's issues, if they 'cure' a patient by prescribing the correct treatment at the correct levels.
I know this is what we should expect anyway but sadly, often this is what we don't get.
Frightening!
Well, let’s face it, many if us on this forum have not had great GP experiences re thyroid issues
I recently had a conversation with a senior NHS IT friend who had implemented automated follow up calls to patients sent home post surgery across a group of hospitals. The patients know it is automated and can opt out and attend a clinic at any time.
The results have so far been hard to ignore with fewer routine visits required and more useful data recorded and analysed against a speciality.
I recently read the results of a USA analysis of these systems and amongst several advantages it listed, was the fact the software did not discriminate against age, accents or any ethnicity, and never became irate or inpatient.
Suits me!
I remember when we had a family doctor, they got to know the patient well, and knew their failings and what they were coping with, whereas now if we see a GP they only know what's written down and only pot luck if you get any positive results. Because of this i think many of us just jog along and hope we get better without even trying to see a doctor. All faith in the NHS is seriously depleted.
The article doesn't go into sufficient depth. The proliferation of Physician associates replacing GPs is a scandal. They only train for two years, get paid more than GPs (!) and are supposed to be supervised by GPs, yet invariably this isn't happening. They aren't currently subject to regulation and the GMC is currently under scrutiny for allowing the situation.
Even worse is the appointment of Anaesthetist associates, not as qualified as traditional anaesthetists, so if we need an op we won't know whether or not who will be putting us under. Unless we ask.
In fact the Anaesthetist United group is taking the GMC to court over the use of associates.
It's so depressing. I'm not sure if and how things will change with the new administration, especially as it seems purely a cost-cutting exercise and a means of rapid recruiting after a period of under-resourcing.
My Surgery has 2 paramedics who seem much more Informed and approachable than the Gp. Plus 2 Nurses & a few HCAs ,only 2 Doctors . Going by our local facebook group the Paramedics are the most Popular. The Doctor I saw recently with an ongoing backache which I had for over a month offered me Codeine. Prodded my back in the wrong place to see if it hurt even though I said it was a continuous ache elsewhere. 2 weeks later I had to go to a&e when I couldn’t get through to the Surgery, turned out to be a water infection . Granted I had a few more symptoms by then but he truly wasn’t interested and didn’t ask any questions just kept smiling, total waste of time ..
My GP surgery employs two physios and 5 psychaitric nurses they provide a much better service for thier speciality than the GPs at the surgery.
In reflection of this post, I would like to make this final point.
Many of us who are at least comfortable enough to air our grievances and woes on here on the health care system, the fact is we can mostly navigate the system. I believe the people that suffer tremendously with such changes are those who are, for lack of a better word, more severely disabled such as those with dementia, schizophrenia, visual disturbances, etc.
It is also for this reason, I am in favour of more allied health professionals in the system as I would prefer such patients access to GPs equally distributed than it currently is especially since the GP is the gatekeeper of other services.
For any muscle-skeletal (MSK) problem I would prefer a physio any time. My husband self referred to our local NHS physio re his shoulder, they assessed him, sent him for an ultrasound scan, contacted the surgeon and the first out GP knew of the problem was when he got the discharge letter following surgery. GP's are not trained to fully diagnose MSK problems. Physios can give joint injections etc.
I'vs got to respectfully disagree here, all the physios I've ever seen have, bar one, been pretty useless, they rather like podiatrists who claim orthotics will solve all your ills, bang on about exercises.
I've currently got rotator cuff issues/ impingement, I've seen the NHS physio, who gave me exercises which have done diddly squat. My surgery has now offered me a steroid injection. With a GP who did my other shoulder a few years ago. I didnt even get a follow up appointment with the Physio for him to assess how the exercises were going.
And certainly no offer of any further diagnostic tests or further treatment. I dont know if private Physios are better but I've probably seen at least a dozen NHS physios over the years , including so called advanced ones and they've been extremely underwhelming.
A very alarming read, especially for 'the elderly' in which category I am in. Our GP sent all patients a letter saying they were so short-staffed they nearly had to close the surgery, but instead asked us, basically, not to visit! Instead, see a pharmacist, or do what you can for yourself! I now feel quite unable to contact my doctor, which is truly awful.
Following a fight with a sheep, my back did not allow me to do anything. My daughter shovelled me into the car and took me to our local "hospital". I was seen by a "nurse" who appeared to be about 16. She asked for a urine sample but I was unable to "go". Now this is a huge red flag on back injuries but she ignored it, said I had sciatica despite there being pain in both legs. Now it is my notes that I have sciatica...
Turns out a chipped bone in my hip. Maybe AI would have asked the right questions...
There’s been a complete change in my area of GP services. All the small well run GPs have joined into 3/4/5 practice groups. The groups then run services without the actual fully qualified GP ever being involved with patients face to face. The doctors all seem to be an equivalent of newly qualified junior doctors found in hospitals or even nurse specialists or physios etc.
Unfortunately believing the opinions from that level of experience has meant that I personally haven’t received adequate advice, referrals and care for dangerous situations including life threatening things like blood clotting issues. I discovered that it was possible to determine experience level when speaking with them and their reactions to simple medical questions (that first year juniors are trained in) and I get the ‘oh this is too complicated and I will have to speak to someone and get to you’ response. They are supposed to be open about their actual qualifications but sadly aren’t. So if they put in comments into AI from a poorly understood situation I don’t think the AI is going to give helpful information.
I’ve never liked being doubtful, or even assertive with doctors….after all when really poorly there isn’t time to watch out for yourself…for instance regarding anaphylaxis etc. But today it’s a vital skill and to know that NHS doctors are doctors first and supposed to offer an opinion that you can choose to take time to consider or get other opinions etc to make informed choices. After all we personally bear the results when things go wrong.
Crucially these days private testing (to help round out views rather than rely solely on NHS opinions) is available although I feel its a very sad reflection of NHS inability to provide the good service as originally promised. For instance I would have bought into the story my cancer is fully resolved by a simple operation and taken my swallowing difficulties and increasing pain elsewhere as just simple slow healing. In fact I happen to know that surgery hasn’t fully removed the cancer and most likely will discover that it’s increased.
Think I’ll carry on consulting Dr Google and doing my own home fingerprick blood tests 😉
I saw in a paper the other day that a lot of people think they can solve crimes because they watch things like Midsommer Murders. I can see how they think that way because I’ve discovered that I am pretty spot on when it comes to diagnosing the various patients who pop up on GPs : Behind Closed Doors. 🤣
Same, it’s become quite the fun game. 🙂
I do this on TV dramas, hubby is amazed and thinks I’m cheating 🤣🤓
I know it’s so funny isn’t it when you say what’s wrong right from the start. 🤣
My experience is of paying for expensive blood tests and scans and then having my GP say, "I don't recognize private tests but I won't refer you to Endo anyway"!Wasted my money and still feel dreadful. I have raised Tg antibodies and a huge range of hypothyroid symptoms but I need to take my antidepressants as it's all anxiety.
Most GPs and hospitals use private companies to test blood now, so next time act suprised if your GP does not!
To be honest I can't afford to do anymore tests, I'm not in work now, guess I just have to struggle along.I haven't seen a doctor since 2022 , they do everything on the phone and then ignore what I say .
I'm sure my notes must say Anxious, there is no understanding of how a thyroid problem affects us. It's all in my mind apparently.
Unless I use all my savings I have nowhere to turn, the last tests and scan cost nearly 3K.
I feel I must defend GPs a bit. Many of the complaints against them should really be aimed at the health authorities etc who very much control what GPs can do. They have “pathways” that they’re obligated to follow or be struck off. Their freedoms have been reduced greatly.
Their education, which is over many years is controlled by senior doctors who are often old fashioned in their opinions & knowledge. It’s the generation effect. Real change often takes 30 years after which old fashioned , out dated or disproved theories die out with old doctors.
Dr Harold Shipman’s crimes have contributed much to the very tight control of GPs by controlling committees. Often GPs hands are tied. & that’s without the reduction in resources, backlog from Covid, huge increase in patient demands. Many GPs’ surgeries have closed down & suicide rates are rising rapidly. It’s extremely difficult to recruit trainee GPs & once fully trained many leave the country or go to other areas of medicine as the UK isn’t a great place to work. The demands on them are forever increasing & poor IT makes life much worse for them & their patients.
My son is a GP.
I'd agree with that, its not individual staff who are the problem but the system. Both my sons worked in the NHS for years, youngest has now left. Neither has a good word to say about the IT system, staffing levels, management.
The NHS is an outdated behemoth, its too big, too unwiedly. Its all target driven, the human side has been sacrificed in the name of budgets and efficiency drives. Its not a nice place to work, the pay, certainly for non clinical staff is very poor, not much above minimum wage. No wonder no one wants to work there.
I think there’s a tendency to view all public servants/civil servants through the lens of “how can we cut budgets?”
What’s happening to GPs now has already happened in teaching, in nursing, in the ambulance service, in the Police—everywhere. Where I work, you used to need 4+ years of training to do the work and be of a certain grade, now trainees get less than a year of training and are paid £1000s less—but are somehow expected to achieve the same results. And then get blasted when they don’t.
I guess what we’re really seeing is the upshot of years of cutting budgets. And it turns out you can’t actually do more with less beyond a certain point. And we went beyond that point several years ago.
i'm amazed the NHS can get anyone to work for them frankly . I was rather embarrased to realise the other week that my daughters friends who works in A&E (doing all sorts of clever stuff , not to mention dealing with the joys of saturday night munters) ~ earns less per hour than i do for sweeping up sand and getting play-doh out of carpets. and she still has to pay a small fortune for the priviledge of using the car park ...... this is not the way to attract and keep the best people.. or indeed any people .
And many of those who stay burn out.
My medication is most unorthodox GP says........
GP won't medicate with TPO antibodies
Feeling rough and GP won't test my thyroid - stuck
GP won't do T4 and T3 !
A talk with my GP
