IT’S no surprise that Worcestershire is struggling to recruit trainee GPs because the job is becoming increasingly difficult, which obviously puts people off taking up the profession.
Last year, a survey of 900 general practitioners found that more than one in five had over 50 daily ‘patient contacts’, including face-to-face and telephone consultations, home visits and e-consultations.
Some overworked doctors said they had up to 70 patient contacts a day, while others admitted that the growing pressure of such numbers had forced them to resign or give up partnerships.
The recommended number of daily contacts is 25, according to a leading European GP forum.
Obviously, one of the reasons for the increasing workload is the rising population in the UK and that people are living longer, but also – as one doctor said – “patients are pushed to the GP for any problem there is”.
So, if we want to make becoming a GP an attractive profession, we have to take care of our doctors and make sure their working conditions are not ridiculous.
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