Full Description
'I tried to contact my own GP last week. I counted 19 redials and 20 minutes on hold before I was able to speak to a receptionist... only to be told that all the appointments for the day had gone. My experience echoes a familiar tale told up and down the country, but just why is it that you can't see your GP anymore? This book provides some answers to that question...'
UK general practice has reached crisis point. The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has placed a strain on an already crumbling primary care service, leaving both patients and NHS staff struggling.
Seventy-five years after the NHS was created, Dr Ellen Welch lifts the curtain on general practice. She looks back on the history of the profession exploring how the job has changed- particularly since the pandemic - then ahead to what the future of general practice might look like.
Why Can't I See My GP features personal accounts from practicing GPs, including Dr Aman Amir, whose surgery was subject to an arson attack; GP leaders Dr David Wrigley, Dr Lizzie Toberty and Dr Paul Evans, alongside commentator Roy Lilley, and bereaved husband Chris Milligan. Those on the frontline try to answer the question: how did we get here? Is it better overseas? And what can be done to make things better for us all in the future?
If you've ever found yourself frustrated by the length of time it took to get a GP appointment, then this book is for you.
Contents
Foreword
Dr Amir Khan
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Dr Ellen Welch
Chapter 1 A brief history of NHS general practice
Ellie Philpotts with Dr Ellen Welch -
A brief history of NHS general practice
Roy Lilley - Gone 16
Dr Eric Rose - The history of out-of-hours GP services
Dr David Wrigley - NHS GPs aren't private companies
Chapter 2 How the role has changed
Dr Christine Hunter with Dr Ellen Welch -
Thirty years as a Cornish GP
Dr Louise Hyde - The magic of general practice
Dr Ayan Panja - Expert generalism -
the power, the magic and the pitfalls
Chapter 3 GPs and the pandemic
Dr Neena Jha - Being a GP during the pandemic
Dr Aman Amir - Rising levels of abuse towards GPs
Chris Milligan - The personal toll of being a GP
Dr Elizabeth Croton -
GPs are not lazy, we're working harder than ever
Chapter 4 What does a GP do in today's Britain?
Dr Lizzie Toberty - On the pressures
Dr Catriona McNicol - On home visits
Dr Ellen Welch - On remote working
Dr Paul Evans - On workload caps
Dr Lizzie Toberty - On pay restoration
Dr Zainab Batool - On the 10-minute consult
Ron Templeton - What do the patients think?
Chapter 5 Does it work better elsewhere?
Dr Neil Barnard with Dr Ellen Welch -
Anywhere is better than the NHS
Dr Sarah Rushworth - From Merseyside to Nova Scotia
Dr Robin Kåss - General practice in Norway
Dr Lois Mugleston -
General practice in New Zealand and the UK
Dr Ellen Welch - The American system - fees at sea
Chapter 6 The future of general practice
Anonymous GP - Are allied healthcare
professionals a solution to the GP crisis?
Dr Ellen Welch - Are part-time GPs the problem?
Over to you - Solutions to the GP crisis in a nutshell
You and your GP
Doctors' Association UK (DAUK)
List of contributors
Glossary
Help for GPs
Further reading
Endnotes
About the author
