Tuesday 19 October 2021

Open Defiance

Doctors have launched a revolt against Sajid Javid's orders for them to see more patients face to face, with hundreds of GPs told to 'ignore' the guidelines.
Who's telling them this?
A letter from the head of the local medical committee (LMC) which represents the area's GPs, said it 'advises all practices not to participate in any aspect of these proposals'.
It claimed the Government's £250million support package aimed at helping patients was 'politically motivated' and 'panders to popular campaigns in sections of the Press'.
I said at the time that the right way to do this was not to offer the greedy bastards more money, it was to cut the money of those refusing to do what they are paid for. 

I was right. 
Last night patient campaigners condemned the 'arrogant' move and said the Government 'cannot allow this sort of anarchy to prevail'.
It can't. So what are you going to do, Sajid? Are you man, or mouse?

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

The correct answer is not either or, it is both.

When I was at work (an hour's commute away from home), to see the doctor involved taking a half day off work.

What I would like to be able to do is to be able to consult the doctor in an appropriate way, be it in person, on the phone, or via Zoom/Teams or whatever.

The problem in my view lies in the slow adoption of appropriate technology and the receptionists who won't answer the phone as much as the reluctance of doctors to do the job.

Incidentally, I wouldn't mind a vaccine passport, but they are pointless, as despite being double-jabbed I recently caught Covid (over it now), so the passport is in practice pointless as it doesn't mean that you haven't got, can't get nor will not transmit the disease. However, when double-jabbed (as in my case) it was more like a bad cold than real flu, so the jab certainly seemed in my case to be worth it.

Bucko said...

I don't understand why they don't want to go back to work? Are they still scared of coronavirus or is there now something else? Genuinely baffled...

Ed P said...

Try to arrange an appointment at the GP's surgery is a stressful ordeal. "Phone at 8am", they say. Hang on (if it's not already engaged), for no-one bothering to answer for 45 minutes*, then be told, "All today's appointments have gone".

I have stood in the play area/waiting room at 8am, watching the jobsworths drinking tea and chatting, whilst 3 - 4 phones ring unanswered. So is it the doctors' faults, or just their avoidance squads?

Mudplugger said...

Since the dawn on the NHS when it was decided to 'stuff their mouths with gold' to persuade the GPs to take part, they have held all governments to ransom and resisted all reasonable management instructions. That's because they're not employees of the NHS, they are private contractors who define their own working patterns and conditions of service - their pay is not a salary but derives from the 'profits' of their GP Surgery practices.
This will only change when some government (the paying customer) has the balls to offer them a standard employment deal, tell them it's the only deal in town and, if they don't like it, they can leave and try to find another stupidly generous and undemanding employer. They won't find one anywhere who allows them all the benefits of self-employment, along with the massive benefit of the gold-plated NHS Pension Scheme. Job done.

Stonyground said...

Our local surgery is pretty good in comparison with what I'm hearing from other people, here and elsewhere. Same day appointments are available and we get face to face consultations. My biggest moan is that they are still doing all the Covid circus. Half the seats in the waiting room are covered with yellow tape, sanitising, mask wearing and all that carry on, long after the rest of us have pretty much returned to normal.

JuliaM said...

"What I would like to be able to do is to be able to consult the doctor in an appropriate way, be it in person, on the phone, or via Zoom/Teams or whatever."

And if you were the customer, that's what they'd have to offer. But you aren't. And that's the main problem.

"Are they still scared of coronavirus or is there now something else?"

Do you think they ever really were scared of covid? I don't.

"Try to arrange an appointment at the GP's surgery is a stressful ordeal."

I haven't had to arrange any for myself, but trying to get one for my elderly mother has been an utter nightmare. Private dentists/chiropodists/opticians are all done in 5 minutes, mostly on the web.

And yes, it IS the doctor's fault. They employ the blockers, after all...

"This will only change when some government (the paying customer) has the balls to offer them a standard employment deal, tell them it's the only deal in town and, if they don't like it, they can leave and try to find another stupidly generous and undemanding employer."

And we already know Boris hasn't got the balls to do that...

"Our local surgery is pretty good in comparison with what I'm hearing from other people, here and elsewhere. "

Blimey, never move house, whatever you do!