THE RETIRED GP

Dr Martin Scurr, GP and Daily Mail columnist

LAST Friday I was contacted by the General Medical Council to rejoin the NHS workforce as part of the government response to the Covid-19 virus.

I was expecting a letter. National news broadcasts made the announcement on Thursday and when an email and detailed questionnaire arrived the following morning I was impressed: someone is on the ball.

There was a clear explanation of the need for recently retired doctors to return to work, along with an enquiry about my professional experience and questions about how much I would be prepared to do.

I had retired from clinical practice in April 2017 in the wake of a long illness which left me breathless and feeble. Three years on, I did not hesitate to agree to come back to the frontline.

I am now fit as a flea, so why wouldn’t I respond to the call for help? The problem is not just a shortage of ventilators and equipment, it is a shortage of experienced personnel skilled in the care of the seriously ill.

In May 1940 my father, at the age of 20, was anaesthetising casualties as they came off the boats following the retreat from Dunkirk. Now, as I write, my own son is an anaesthetist at a London hospital, and I welcome an opportunity to put my shoulder back to the wheel. I am awaiting a further briefing about how I can be of value. Although I have expressed reservations about face-toface care of sick patients, I am most concerned about the elderly, who are isolated and who are not deemed suitable for active treatment.

I am in that age group and hope to offer my support.