The Surgery Kingstone

Was pleased to see someone express concerns about this practice. Those concerns are held by many and are being increasingly expressed. Sadly we don't think the practice is hearing. No one doubts we are lucky to have Kingstone surgery: but is changing and not for the better. We are conditioned not to criticise or question GPs ...Shipmen should have changed that attitude. There are some excellent GPs, some good, most are average, there are some poor and a few who are dangerous. Some who work hard, some who don't. Some are altruistic, many put earnings first. Just like any other part of society. Kingstone is not a difficult medical practice to work at. It is not inner city with multiple drug addicts, endemic poverty or widespread criminality. There are issues, specifically age demographic but there are a lot harder places to practice medicine. Whilst far from perfect they get pretty good support from most functions and departments at the District Hospital .I am getting a bit fed up with been told how hard GPs work , the COVID excuses and that we have a shortage . In fact we have plenty of GPs...they just chose not to put the hours in. . A few (national) facts might assist. 90% of GPs work part time. 1 in 6 works less than 15 hrs per week. Nearly 60& are female. General Practice is rapidly becoming a part time female profession. Nationally salaried GPs average about £26K per day worked. So they can make over £50K a year working 2 days a week. Partners ..i.e. those who own the business...make much more. On average around £215K per year. Though they are required to publish an earnings figure Kingstone's is years out of date and probably meaningless as it admits. At a best estimate Kingstone surgery likely has a gross income in excess of £10 million a year. As an aside there are some GPs making close to £1million pa and do check out how much out-of-hours 'GPs' can make ...but make sure you are sat down first. Do they work hard? I was married to a GP for a decade. She worked in a reasonable salubrious city area though it included the city's then red light district . She was on call 2 nights a week. She did 9x 2.5 hours surgeries a week and daily home visits (remember them?). It would have been 11 surgeries but she had a specific expertise and chose to work a day a week free at a London hospital. One in 3 weekends she was on call from midday Saturday to 7 am Monday. The practice did not have nurses ,other ancillary medical staff or practice managers etc.. She worked hard. It is right and am glad those days are gone. But when GPs say they are working hard in general it is because they are partners spending time managing their business to increase their profits not because they are seeing patients.

Sadly standards are dropping rapidly since Richard Warner retired. This needs to be addressed. There appears to be a developing culture of arrogance among some senior and medical staff. Remember this is a profitable business for the partners.....very profitable .We pay for the NHS. It is not free. Shouting patient names out from along a corridor is neither 'respectful' nor 'dignified' (NHS Constitution) and disrespectful of privacy. Please stop . If you can't be bothered to walk all the way to the waiting area (as every other doctor/nurse has managed for 20+ years) then I suggest installing a screen based 'call' system. Disturbingly there are some doctors who seem to feel some basic functions are below their pay grade causing unnecessary costs to patients, diagnostic delay and perversely adding to overall practice workload. On the positive side the front staff continue to be a delight...efficient, courteous and inexplicably tolerant of the too many who display inappropriate behaviour and language.