To think that people have become completely incapable....

[memorial]

Ok so I'm a GP (yes yes I know I could be anybody) and have been for over 20 years.
But bloody hell our society have become completely and utter incapable of any kind of self care or self responsibility. I have never known anything like the kind of demand we are facing. And I'm sorry most of it is just complete and utter nonsense. Over and over again.
Genuinely ill and needy people are being lost in the deluge. It's absolutely impossible to offer any kind of decent care. And we are losing doctors, nurses and staff rapidly. And we cannot recruit. It's not about pay It's about absolutely ridiculous workload and risk.
Yes the system is broken yes we need more of everything.
But every single thing does not need GP hand holding. It doesn't need 2 page complaints because you didn't get what you wanted when you wanted it.
Some days I just think people won't be happy until I go and wipe their arses for them.
I'm done. And it's not just me.

Wow OP your thread went the distance, countless pp's proving your point over and over.
Remember the olden days when doctors were respected and appreciated.
I hope the thread gives you a giggle throughout the day to help you through.

Quite an attack on Davina. Not really aligned with empathy, is this GP🤒

I've had patients asking me to help two hospital departments communicate better between themselves Confused. Can I ask cardiology to send the results to gastro. No! You ask them yourself.

But - how are people supposed to know the ins and outs of how to do these things? I think lots of HCPs have no idea how opaque and confusing and frustrating much of the NHS' endless baffling bureaucracy is. It's apparent quite often that people are just expected somehow to know what the arcane procedures are within different parts of the NHS. And a GP is often presumed to be the patients' advocate/signpost/guide. Perhaps that's wrong - nobody knows!

Clearly you have never had the pleasure of dealing with the GMC.....pet.

Not sure if I’m familiar with that case but yes generally speaking Black or Asian doctors are punished more severely for negligence be it real or imagined. Especially if they’re non-British.

Wow you are coming across so well. The GMC is a nasty vindictive over investigative pile of shit who drag out and nit pick and are very poorly thought of. I have been qualified for almost 30 years and have not run foul of them am sure you will be pleased to hear.
The medical community is small though and sadly I know many who have and are neither negligent or bad in any way. High rate of suicide of those dragged through their medieval systems. But I am sure you think that is well deserved.
You are foul. Mental health matter except when it's doctors mental health right? Because we asked for it? We chose it ? We deserve it? We earn to much?
I know exactly the kind of patient you are.

<chews straw&gt;

Also a GP. About 1 in 3 of my consultations are an utter waste of time for all involved as any competent adult should be able to manage them themselves.

Oh, and many of the bits upthread are not actually NHS GP work. You want a form signed for a marathon? This is just an effort to transfer risk from the marathon organisers to the GP's indemnity - I don't have a crystal ball and can't tell you if someone may have a sudden MI during a 26 mile race.

Sick note before 7 days? Against DWP guidance, regardless of what your employer wants.

People attending wanting letters for housing, which is not in our gift and we have been advised that they disregard anything from us that they haven't requested. And on, and on, and on. So much of our time is wasted in this fashion.

True. Remember the war generation? They did their own MRI scans. Not like these pussies you see today.

At one point it was suggested that GPs prescribe fuel reduction in
a patient's bills. Can you imagine being the gatekeeper for that?

"Where's my fuel reduction??"

No wonder people quit

OP I've managed to read the whole thread during an extremely long coach journey+ just would like to say thank you for your work - there have been a few extremely unpleasant people posting, I suspect they're just sad people trolling. I really hope you don't go away from this thread feeling even more unappreciated and fed up. You're undoubtedly making a much greater difference to society than the people enjoying sticking the boot in for the lols.

OP, is there anything you can do to let off steam? Have you someone to talk to, friends, therapist, family?

Thing is, say the GPs we have now are actually an unpleasant, lazy, incompetent bunch of whingers. It's still in our interest as a country to make their jobs easier, more pleasant, and better-remunerated, in order to attract better-qualified and more numerous candidates to the field. And also because a rushed and incompetent GP is even more dangerous than one who's incompetent but has time to check stuff.

Of course it's possible they're actually not all lazy, incompetent whingers, and the ever-more-frequent warnings we hear from people working in general practice that their work is unsustainable are actually true. In which case we should do the same thing.

Yes. People don't know how it works.

I've been trying to get my medical records sent to an insurance company so I can take out some life insurance. They keep emailing me saying the surgery hasn't done it yet (it's been weeks) and urging me to contact the surgery to remind them. Of course when I phoned the surgery I was told they're under so much pressure and finding the time is almost impossible - which I have no doubt at all about and I was apologetic - but what am I supposed to do?

Sorry @memorial but this is what you said: our society have become completely and utter incapable of any kind of self care or self responsibility “Our society" implies a majority right down to wiping their arses.

Each of those cases that I mentioned happened to people I love. Loved. Including my dear friend dying unnecessarily at 42 and I’m the one spouting Daily Mail nonsense?

I have no idea really of the percentage of time wasters or aggressive patients you see (if you’re real), but you certainly sound defensive and burnt out. Time for you to move on for sure. My point was that people are struggling.

All the research highlights how impoverished people don’t feel in control of their lives. That nudge theory doesn’t work. That telling people what to do doesn’t work. And people don’t consume massive amounts of alcohol or food because they want to kill themselves. The Tory govt has underfunded the NHS for over a decade. Austerity has led schools to sell off their playing fields. Education is underfunded. Inequality is rising. Wages have stagnated. Well paid manual work has been outsourced and replaced with insecure zero hour contracts.

When I taught medical students and asked them if any would refuse to treat patients who smoked, half said yes. Yet, not a word about the tobacco companies making billions by marketing to teenagers and who hid the research identifying the addictive nature of the chemicals put in cigarettes to accelerate the rate of nicotine take up in the blood brain barrier.

Yes, there’s also an increased sense of entitlement. One that is fuelled by an economic system that requires a buy now pay later attitude sold by a marketing industry worth billions and that spills over into all aspects of people’s lives. How much does McDonalds spend on marketing vs your local fresh veg farmer fgs? There are wider structural issues affecting individuals health. None of that I’m seeing acknowledged in any of your posts.

Have you not heard of the social determinants of health? Failing that, a bit of empathy, even for the time wasters, for your patients could go a long way.

@ClumpingBambooIsALie - agree. And anyway, the criticism of GPs is easy because of course, they have to be professional. Of course they are human and so some general public assuming they some sort of special medical robot designed to serve is definitely unpleasant.

Doctors want to help people, they aren't given much clout by the government at all - tell your patient they are overweight, that's fat shaming, yet of course, its relevant to their health.

I think AI will take over from GPs. They can correlate so much more data quicker, and it can be done from home.

@DrBlackbird excellent post 👏

I'm working well over recommended limits that could have an impact on patient safety and the quality of my work. That could mean a drug error or a missed referral.

I'm a single parent to three teens who hardly see me. Thank god they like being on their tech in their rooms. Their dad has had them for a grand total of 9 hours this whole summer holiday.

I earn a lot but I'm working hard at the moment to make sure patients get their scripts etc on time. It's not worth it otherwise though. The only thing keeping me going on autopilot is the patients that need me. Not the money!

A bit of empathy from you for OP would go a long way. She is clearly stressed and under enormous strain and wanted to vent anonymously on a website not be lectured at

OP, I really hope you are able to get some sort of break. I suffered from burnout in 2017 and remember how dreadful it was. It was a very kind GP who helped me through it. GPs themselves are not immune from burnout as you and other health professionals have proved on this thread. Please, please get help. You, your family and your patients need it.

I don't wish to be scathing about GP services, but do find myself naturally with a foot in the side of the patient with less than satisfactory experiences. Several family members who have gone from fit and healthy to anxious and almost housebound and unable to walk far because of minor conditions that were brushed off at a minor stage, and seen on photos through 13 arms-length screens of new triage software but not in an appointment.

But what's interesting is the perceptions coming through in these posts. In general, many seem to say that the young and 'malfunctioning' or the elderly and 'soldiering on' are the most likely to be 'really ill' and deserving of a GP's time (whether or not the condition is serious).

Anyone else in the large middle range, maybe female, menopausal, attempting to work; well enough to be fairly persistent or articulate; having skin changes; shitting blood and getting worse, but otherwise coping over years...there's a sense of them, to some, being likely presumed malingering, influenced by celebs rathert ahn their own symptoms, and possibly responsible for their own state - not something that could need triaging or more complex investigating by someone with experience. Fascinating to read.