A&E departments should not have to step in to do the work of GPS
SIR – I am a retired GP working part-time in an A&E department in central London.
At least 90 per cent of the patients I am seeing have been unable to contact their GP, have not been able to get an appointment or have been sent to us with conditions that, in the past, would have been managed by their GP.
This means that the taxpayer is paying me as a locum-rate doctor for my assessment as well as the GP who declines to do their job properly.
Dr Gregory Tanner MRCGP Middlezoy, Somerset
SIR – Over the bank holiday weekend, I tried to contact my GP for non-urgent advice using the online econsult system, but the surgery was not connected. When I rang on Tuesday I was told that the system was routinely disabled at weekends and on holidays as “too many people used it”, and GPS were being swamped with online queries on returning to work. Richard Fletcher
Newmarket, Suffolk
SIR – Regarding the treatment of face moles (Letters, May 3), I saw my GP last year with a biggish one. He said the good news was that it wasn’t cancerous; the bad news was that the NHS doesn’t remove them anymore.
As it would have cost £600, I grew a fringe instead.
Joan Richardson
Chandlers Ford, Hampshire
SIR – I work 10 hours a week over two days as a practice nurse. Over the past six months, patients have failed to attend 28 double appointments (20 minutes) and 20 single appointments, despite being sent reminders both one week (if already booked) and the day before their appointment.
This is a terrible abuse of a free service, and therein lies the problem. We are taken for granted, and some patients who need appointments have trouble getting them.
Jacky Ellinger
Southampton
SIR – My doctor recently requested an X-ray for my left knee. This was carried out at 10.30am the following day. I think that is pretty good service.
The punchline is that the person who completed this task told me that it might take the radiologist 10 days to deal with the pictures.
Richard R Dolphin
West Hatch, Somerset
SIR – Last week I received an unsolicited text message from Nhs-noreply. It stated: “The NHS in partnership with local organisations would like to help people to overcome their worries to help with recovery from the pandemic. Explore a programme of free creative projects and gentle exercise to boost your sense of wellbeing.”
I wonder if those worries might not be better addressed by using the NHS’S budget to help the innumerable people trying to cope with serious illnesses that have remained untreated for more than two years.
Susan James Dursley, Gloucestershire