NHS dors work too

Had excellent treatment at www.uhcw.nhs.uk/
My September appt was 9am. I was see promptly, collected chemo type cream from pharmacy, and out just after 10am.

Latest appt this week on Wednesday was at 10 so half expected a longer wait. Seen just after 10 by a very kind and caring doctor. Best news! Aldara had worked!

My next follow up appointment, in six months time, arrived on Friday morning.

Wouldn’t exactly be rocket science to use the excelling hospitals as a template for the failing ones.

Growstuff your GP colleague working at home, unpaid, on her non rota days is how the NHS keeps going. My DD, a young teacher, works at least 3-4 hours per day before or after school, plus at least one afternoon at the weekend, thus making her hourly rate rubbish ( and illegal) It is the exploitation of people like my DD and your GP friend, and most NHS staff which keeps the creaking system going, and still people want more, want better services, without being prepared to pay the additional taxes necessary to provide these essential services for all of us.

Rubysong All of our local GPs work part time. They are obviously earning enough to live well on two or three days work a week. As a result there are long waits to see a particular doctor who may know 'the whole story'. If they all worked full time it would not be such a problem.

You are making a lot of harsh judgments there. How on earth do you know what those doctors are doing when they’re not at the practice?
Perhaps they are young parents who are job-sharing because they want to devote some of their time to a young family.
Perhaps they have a part-time hospital appointment so they can further their knowledge and experience so that ultimately they’ll be providing a better service to people like you.
Perhaps they’re taking time out to sit for higher qualifications, with the same aim.
Perhaps they’re content to earn a part-time salary to achieve a reasonable work-life balance.

Finally, your last sentence assumes that if they all worked in practice full-time, the Government would commit the funds to pay them. In your dreams

If you phoned my GP you would almost certainly not get through. You would redial for about 30 mins and then be offered an appointment for 3 weeks time. You can book online, waiting time is the same. If you are an emergency then you can try to get through at 8 am. However unless you are lucky you can't get through - see above. They suggest you to a and e.

My GP practice has mostly part-timers. In addition to the reasons given by JaneA, my surgery premises is just in an ordinary house so very crowded and cramped. If there was funding for more staff, they would not fit in.

I know GillT57. I was a teacher - not a young one either and I was was working before work and into the small hours - no fun as a single parent of two young children.

I burnt myself out literally. I had a breakdown and, a little later, a heart attack, so stopped. My GP friend has told me she's seen that happen to too many people and she doesn't want it to happen to her.

In any case rubysong, after training for ten years (or what whatever it is now), I think people deserve to be able to live a reasonable life, even if they work "part-time".

What tips would you pass on to "failing" hospitals Sussexborn? My understanding is that hospitals are failing for a whole host of reasons.

At the election hustings this week, the Conservative candidate said the problem at A&E was "demand" (which isn't actually true). She said people shouldn't go to A&E if they're ill. The problem is that people can't get GP appointments and there isn't a 24/7 walk in centre (none at weekends). It also has high numbers of people coming from care homes and those living on their own, who have fallen or have breathing difficulties.

The problem is that the whole social and healthcare system is being starved of funds, the population is ageing and, is on average, more frail.

Growstuff the problems you outline are being made worse by a lot of people's inability to see what is going on and why, how many of those same people who grumble about not being able to get a GP appointment will vote Tory on Thursday? Throw in a little bit of victim blaming as well, suggest that GPs get paid so much that they can 'afford' to work part time, tell people in pain that if they had only been thrifty and saved up for their surgery they could have it done privately..........we all recognise the symptoms of a failing system. Sorry to hear of your ill health as a result of teaching, I worry about my DD and she is still young and childless.

I agree with you GillT57. I live in a Conservative stronghold and the availability of GP appointments is dire. Private GPs are popping up all over the place and I've had a number of people tell me how wonderful they are. All very good, but I seriously couldn't afford it, especially as I'd have to pay for any medications and referrals.