GP Ratings in England

What it did say was that GPs whose patient satisfaction suffered because of their under-prescribing ought to be supported, presumably by paying them more for under-prescribing?
They cannot pay them more for talking to the patient longer as they are paid by results for the numbers of patients they see, too.
What a tangled web.

Indirectly though, that is how it works in free markets- as it is in most of Europe where patients are not registered with a GP. In my area, people know which doctor will give them the sleeping tabs, antibiotics, when they want it, or a medical certificate to be off work, etc- and those- often much better doctors, who will not (unless it is clinically necessary of course). Guess which doctor makes the most money? Many patients will choose a doctor that will tell them what they want to hear- and give them the drugs the internet told them they 'should' take.

Its become second nature to look for instant relief to a problem including a pill or potion that cures what ails us. My lovely dil, some sensible in many other ways, goes to the doctor the minute something is wrong. Is it that we have been convinced the medical profession can perform miracles? I don't know. But you only need to read any of the forums concerned with an illness to realise how many people willingly swallow handfuls of various pills and still complain of side effects etc. to wonder if stopping a few rather than taking more might actually help. I realise I'm in a fortunate position of not taking any prescribed drugs and I do have a GP who is very cautious about prescribing so she has my total faith.

When Minibags had an ear infection some years ago, my GP told me that 70% of ear infections clear up by themselves within 72 hours so if I could could control DD'S pain and fever (dosing her with both paracetamol syrup and ibuprofen), then it might be worth a try rather than using an antibiotic. He prescribed me penicillin in powder form with instructions about how much water to add if we needed it. The pharmacist was dubious but I told him I could measure 110ml accurately. I guess he though the GP wouldn't have trusted me if I wasn't capable .

Anyway, DD didn't need the antiB because the infection did clear up within 72 hours and I had managed to keep the pain and fever down as instructed. The pain is the worst thing about an ear infection, as I only discovered in my thirties when I had one for the first (and hopefully last!) time in my life.

Would that there were more GPs like mine.

And, perhaps, more people willing to listen to them!

I agree Mollie.

My BiL is at the GP surgery almost every week for something. Last week it was constipation - as if there are not enough effective over the counter medications available.

I wish there were more GP's like yours too Bags - hopefully BiL would be sent away with a flea in his ear and told to eat more healthily or to visit the chemist and/or health store and sort himself out.

There was talk of presenting patients with an annual account to show how much the NHS had spent on them each year. That would come as a shock to some.

What about people who need medication to keep them alive, Anya? Should they be made to feel guilty because they are costing the NHS so much?
As it is, it's well known that some people have to choose between which medications to take because they cannot afford all their prescriptions.

DJ I was clearly talking about those who waste their GP's time. Did you not understand that?

Yes Anya, it was clear- and there are far too many of them.

My lovely neighbour told me she was going to the doctor's last Thursday with her 19 year old son. She was furious because it's half day closing at the surgery, her GP does a stint at the local hospital- and she had trouble making an app. with the doctor on call for him. So I was concerned- how long has he been coughing and had a cold. Oh since yesterday- she said. Didn't know what to say !?!

Does the prescription pre-payment system not still exist in England? Surely people on a lot of medication can use that if it does still exist? When I used it I used the option to spread the cost over the year by paying in instalments so that it wasn't a big lump expense all at once.

I knew about it because my mother had used it yonks ago and I sometimes collected her prescription for her, but my Oxfordshire GP also told me about it, as I would expect many GPs do.

If it hasn't been abolished, I'm a bit dubious about the victim narrative, dj.

www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcosts/Pages/Prescriptioncosts.aspx