Beetley Pete’s blog on Sunday gave me food for thought.  Like Pete, I remember as a child when you turned up at the doctor’s surgery, looked around to see who was before you, and then just waited your turn.  The surgery consisted of one doctor and a receptionist.  I don’t remember any nurse.

Mum was always marching me to the doctor’s, as none of us knew anything about dairy allergies back in the 1960s. The doctor didn’t either, and he eventually sent me to a psychiatrist to find out why I felt nauseous much of the time.  The psychiatrist didn’t have a clue either, and suggested that I might have a kidney infection.

Anyway, that’s all beside the point.  When it came to the 1970s and we lived on a big housing estate, the surgery consisted of 2 doctors.  You then had to make an appointment (which was relatively easy to obtain), but the doctors, a husband and wife team, were heartily stressed with looking after 4000 extra people and subsequent home visits etc.  Within a few years they were both alcoholics and died early.

Our current GP practice consists of 6 doctors, various nurses, a receptionist and a pharmacy.  You cannot get an appointment unless you know about 2 or 3 weeks in advance whether you’re going to be ill and can book it up early.  I’ve found out that  many appointments are blocked so that nobody can book them at all. When you phone at 8am to make an appointment, the world and his wife, aunt and uncle are all trying to get the same appointment and you cannot get through.  The only way to speak to the receptionist is to get out of your sick bed and drive 5 miles down to the surgery and wait outside the main door from about 7:45am to be first in the queue.  However, many people have the same idea…

It’s marginally better to ask for a nurse appointment if there are no GP appointments.  You’re in the surgery already and although the nurse cannot do much as regards prescriptions apart from issuing antibiotics, she can run in and ask one of the doctors if they’re in-between patients.  I’ve tried this on a couple of occasions, but you have to run the gamut of the health check with a nurse when you might only want to be referred for an ingrown toenail.

GPs are retiring early and there is definitely a shortfall now.  Okay we don’t have to pay, but it was definitely easier back in 1960s to see a doctor when you wanted to than it is now.  Most of the time I don’t bother, due to the hassle we have to experience in order to obtain an appointment.  I eat lots of oranges and hope for the best.