The government or doctors: just who is to blame for waits?

The government has proposed ‘naming and shaming’ GPs who don’t see enough patients face to face, despite warnings that the incentive could ‘sink the ship altogether’ (Metro, Fri).

Doctors and nurses have been the heroes of this pandemic. However, while all sectors of society are going back to work, GPs largely remain impossible to see. The UK has significantly lower cancer survival rates than peer EU countries because GPs appointments are hard to find and they only refer you to a specialist when it is far too late.

I agree they have to be named and shamed if they don’t provide appropriate care to patients.

Julia, Mitcham

If the doctor-to-patient ratio has not gone up, it can only be the doctors’ reluctance to see patients that has caused this increase in patient care. John Nightingale, Essex

Yet again, suppliers (in this instance, doctors) are being blamed for failures of successive governments. The issue is not of face-to-face versus telephone and video appointments but rather whether you can get one in the first place due to the chronic shortage of GPs.

Roy Barton, Kent

This is absolutely ridiculous. So a hard-working practice, for whatever reason, fails to meet a fake government standard. Instead of giving that GP service money to improve, the government fines them. How does that make sense?

C, via email

I have tried calling the surgery many times but no response. I resorted to an email to arrange a telephone consultation with my GP to assess my medication. No luck there either, as it was answered by another section.

I used the e-consult this week for advice, through which I was informed I would get a response by 6.30pm the following day. Instead, I got it a day later, and by that time I had googled it. What are the GPs doing?

Jude, Portsmouth

Our daughter has worked tirelessly throughout this pandemic. Seeing patients face to face, carrying out visits at the start without proper protection. Doctors don’t just see patients, they have repeat prescribing to carry out and check, insurance forms, passports, solicitor reports. Many of my daughter’s colleagues have left the profession due to the demands on them and abuse they take. I see the toll it is taking on our daughter, and am disgusted with this line of thought to name and shame.

Name and address supplied

GPs say that they are overworked and have far too many patients per practice to deal with. I wouldn’t disagree with that.

But they were able to see all their patients pre-Covid-19. Now most are not. Understandably, people are concerned that serious health concerns will be misdiagnosed by GPs attempting to diagnose via a phone call. Also, patients who pay for private visits have reported incidences where the GP who was too busy to see them had time to see them when they paid privately.

I think the issue is that GPs have got used to carrying out consultations by video or phone. Or fear catching Covid.