GP Shortage: Radical Change Needed

For years I have argued that the concept of general practice, based upon a Victorian understanding of the role, status and independence of what doctors did and how, is out of date and has no place in a modern world, let alone a modern NHS.  The whole thing should now be scrapped, especially the self employed contractual relationship between the doctors and the NHS.

It should be replaced with a community healthcare structure based upon neighbourhood health centres containing all the first point medical services, including fully qualified and NHS employed doctors, nurses, physios, social care, therapists of all kinds, pharmacists etc. Such centres should  be equipped to carry out tests and scans required for everyday diagnosis. Doctors must be full time, fully employed, capable of clinical leadership and when required willing to visit patients at home. Routine ailments do not require a fully qualified doctor, a suitably qualified medical ancillary of paramedic can attend to most such cases on a walk in basis.

Whist there are in the current set up some very good surgeries offering the best they can under this outdated concept, I am lucky to be registered with one of them, it is very hit and miss. The modern term is postcode lottery.We have to get serious about sorting out this retro model upon which the whole edifice of the NHS stands. It really is no longer up to the job. In truth it never was from the very inception of universal free healthcare.