IN MY VIEW . . . PROBLEMS PERSIST IN ALL WEATHERS

THIS extraordinary weather has inevitably drawn comparisons with the record-breaking summer of 1976, but that time remains for me just a hazy memory. Back then, I was a junior hospital doctor and saw little of the hot weather thanks to my 88-hour-a-week rota and having to swot for my entry exam for the Royal College of General Practitioners.

I do recall, however, great concern being expressed at the time about a spike in deaths due to the higher-than-expected temperatures, a pattern that has been repeated this year. Elderly people, infants and patients with heart or lung disease are most at risk when temperatures soar.

Although winter conditions claim more lives, the pressure on healthcare is no less at this time of year — in part due to seasonal factors such as allergies, insect bites and food poisoning, as well as the need for foreign travel immunisations. And, of course, medical staff have to take holidays.

Back in the mid-Seventies the junior doctor had no such luxury, and we were not allowed to take time off during our six-month attachments. Clearly this wasn’t healthy, and now the pendulum has swung firmly the other way: even young doctors committed to their vocation prioritise a satisfying worklife balance.

The problem is that disease doesn’t care about all that, and as long as the NHS door is always open, the pressures of summer — and winter — will continue. The acknowledged crisis in staffing levels underlines the need for a major redesign of the way healthcare is delivered, particularly in general practice. We can but hope, yet as summer turns to autumn, I fear things will only get worse.