[Margaret Pilkington]

Anyone who knows me, or has read my blogs, knows that I avoid seeing my GP/Doctors like the plague.
I was interested to read that the Self Care Campaign(a group made up mainly of GP's and Representatives from the pharmaceutical industries......and a single solitary General Nurse) have come to the conclusion that 20% of GP's time is wasted by patients with trivial complaints....ailments which could be dealt with by over the counter medications and advice from a pharmacist.

It is interesting to note that the research which led the group to come to this sonclusion was funded by.......you'll never guess.......Pharmaceutical Companies.
They reckon that the NHS could save 2 Billion pounds per year if these 'worried well' patients could be educated and encouraged to treat themselves.

How would these 'worried well' individuals treat themselves??????
Why, with over the counter medicines of course.

So knowing my dislike of visiting a medical practitioner, you would, perhaps assume, that this would meet with my approval.

It doesn't!
If an individual is worried enough to jump through the hoops that it takes these days to obtain an appointment to see a GP.....then they should be able to see a GP. (For goodness sake by the time you have got an appointment you are either dead and buried or better)
This is a service that we pay for.

I looked very briefly at the White Paper which documents the finding of this group of people and Noted that one of the GPs on the committee was Simon Fradd....this is the chap who negotiated the contractual changes to GP's working conditions...negotiations which meant that the salaries of most GP's rocketed for doing less work.
Do you see a pattern emerging?

Do you entrust your health care needs to a friendly local pharmacist, or would you prefer to see a GP....who, after all will record your problems on your notes for future reference?????