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I was forgetting people's names who I knew really well, couldn't go to the shops for two items without forgetting one of them once there.
I do that now and I am not on any medication 🙁
Is the reason why GPs are leaving the profession in droves due to them being put in an impossible position with regard to prescribing targets for medicalising conditions instead of utilising their knowledge to know what is the most appropriate treatment, if any, for the patient?
Whilst I don't disagree with your frustration at the shackles that are frequently placed on me for pointless targets to be met (which, if not me, are likely to result in my surgery being unable to continue to run, which results in my patients NOT having a local surgery - it's a double edged sword..). i very much doubt this is the reason GP recruitment is down, and many GPs are leaving the shores for pastures new...
People don't want to take on the ever increasing workload, for ever decreasing pay, with ever increasing complaints, and ever decreasing respect....
DrP
DrP - taking a surgery in any part of the country then (to make the q easier) out of the patients seen in any given day how many of those appointments could have been avoided if patients were better educated on their health?
I understand that there is increasing workload but am trying to understand why. OK, that's sounding a daft q but is it just as simple as too many older people needing ever more treating or what?
Or is it an education problem? Or can it not be simplified?
Probably can't be simplified.
Put it this way...'probably' about [b]half [/b]of my 'work' is seeing patients. As in, face to face, hand on belly, finger up etc etc...
The other half is:
blood tests (both ones I ask for, and ones the hospital sends me)
referrals
reading letters (both ones I ask for, and ones the hospital sends me)
management stuff.
figuring out ways of leaping through pointless hoops to maintain practice income and sustainability.
I really don't think the patients can be 'blamed' as such, but yes, the ageing population and lack of self care is also increasing the workload demand for 'patienty stuff'.
Primary care is cheap in terms of provision of care.
Hospitals aren't.
LOTS of 'things' (think of this as being tasks, reviews, tests etc) are being diverted away from hospital (because they are expensive to perform there), and to primary care (because we are cheap. And we are suckers.) We generally don't get any extra funding for this.
It's like you ordering a takeaway from Dominos. They make the pizza and provide the box, but then knock on the poor independent cafe next door and [b]tell [/b]them to take it to you. It would be cruel to NOT deliver your pizza, so they do it. But they don't get paid for it, and the cafe owner is tired from a long day at work so can't muster the energy to say no. Plus the pizza is there and the dominos man has left, so he may as well.....
DrP