Patients With Long Term Conditions To See Same GP.

[Sparklingsunshine]

I spotted this on the BBC, sounds positive in theory, if you have an understanding and proactive GP. If you have a dud then maybe not.

bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c04...

[Catlover1981]

At my GPs it's been like this for years for continuity of care and yes I always see the same GP

[Obsdian]

I hope they add hire enough doctors for places outside London. There aren't enough health care professionals of any sort where I live. I don't see how they can achieve this until they hire more doctors.

[Stills in reply to Obsdian]

Unfortunately there are less GPs each year and this decline has been going on for over a decade whilst the need for GPs has been growing with population increases and an older population. It will take decades to improve if it can be achieved at all. At a recent financial advice meeting in planning for retirement etc the advisor told us our generations life expectancy is in decline. For example my Mum, now 87 has one of 93 ( extenuating circumstances excluded) whereas I, now 62 have a life expectancy of 86. Of course this is based on very generic ONS stats I’m sure but interesting that financial advisors are adapting their methods accordingly.

[Jingley]

I always try to see the same GP. They better understand the notes that they've written themselves rather than trying to interpret what someone else meant.

I did notice this in the report though

GPs will be rewarded financially if they do this and if they go "above and beyond" preventing common killers like heart disease

Will this mean they'll be pushing things like statins even more???

[Stills in reply to Jingley]

Yes, without question, it’s almost like bonus scheme, very wrong imho

[Sparklingsunshine in reply to Stills]

They already get rewarded for high scoring conditions such as asthma, diabetes, depression, cholesterol. Personally I think financial bonuses for diagnosing certain conditions is immoral and unethical and surely encourages over diagnosis?

[Tina_Maria in reply to Sparklingsunshine]

Indeed and then they rant on about over-diagnosing thyroid conditions when they are pushing statins on people with an average cholesterol level!!

[Stills in reply to Sparklingsunshine]

Indeed, and big pharma are to blame in the long run. Lots of easily treated long term conditions like high BP equals lots of scripts and as the drugs are all off patent and generic it’s very competitive. The days of loitering outside drs office with a bottle of whiskey and order pad have long gone but todays incentives come in the form if professional development and recognition….. nothing is sacred these days

[Fruitandnutcase]

I’d say there is absolutely no chance of that where I live (a nice small town) and I’m with what is probably a good surgery with reasonable patients . Since Covid getting an appointment for anything than my regular UTIs or bouts of diverticulitis just doesn’t seem to be possible - I have never even spoken to the same GP on the phone for those.

Heck I don’t even see the same nurse when I go for my annual blood test that’s to check up on what I suppose you could call ‘long term existing conditions’ - high blood pressure, asthma, inflammatory arthritis - although I have to say I do *see* the same asthma questionnaire every year - not sure if that counts for seeing the same doctor 🤣

Perhaps it will be considered that they are going ‘above and beyond’ if they actually see the same patient more than once.

[Stills in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Quite likely I suspect

[bantam12]

All well and good if said GP stays longer than a few months, they don’t in my practice, just get used to one and off they go, of course appts are rare anyway !

[Stills in reply to bantam12]

Exactly my thoughts and there is also the difficulty of getting the appointment given that receptionist seem trained to only offer that as a last resort and all the other medical staff to wade through first before actually seeing a doctor in person is even considered

[Stills]

my surgery has only had locum GPs for the last three years at least so I can’t see it working everywhere no matter what ones condition I’m afraid

[mrskiki]

Mine will be Dr A Locum, but expect it will be the nurse and I just get a quick glimpse of Dr Locum so they can say they’ve seen me.

I remember my parents being assigned a doctor at their practice when over 80 or something, and it did work sometimes as there were about a dozen doctors and most of them partners. System fell over badly when the doctor was on holiday or off locumming himself for extra money.