The current problem with the healthcare system is that despite increased salaries family doctors are now perceived to be less flexible. Many patients complain that it takes days to get an appointment fixed. And after NHS24 has come it is nearly impossible to guarantee good medical attention out of hours. But some GPs are said to be earning £250,000. Out-of-hours rotations used to work perfectly in the past. But the problem is that the meddlers in the governments and health boards keep fiddling with the system. They think they know what they are doing but end up the other way round.
GPs have indeed been forced to work harder and deliver more. Unfortunately, most of that effort is going into government-demanded pen-pushing, points systems, targets and form filling. Political masters want evidence that their policies work. But this takes doctors away from actually diagnosing and treating their patients. Currently GPs' surgeries do not have to achieve levels of customer satisfaction. As long as they satisfy their paymasters that is the government and health boards, the patients just have to put up with whatever service is on offer, and that varies widely. I've now had the same family doctors for 15 years. Not merely the same practice with the same doctors.It would be better if the problem is allowed to be dealt between the patients and the GP’s. It would be made easy if every GP’s surgery produced a brochure outlining the services and appointments availability for their practice. The GP’s can emphasis on what patients want rather than whatever complex reporting systems the government demands. Contracts could be drawn up between patient and GP rather than merely the NHS and the GP. Hence in conclusion it was said that rather than bureaucratics making important decisions it is better if the patient and the doctor decide what I best for themselves.
