Oh i think its going to be great! i'll work shifts 8-2 or 2-8; monday and 
tuesday off if work a weekend. that'll mean only 2 GPs in on monday morning 
most weeks (allowing for stress related sickness and annual leave) for 15K 
pts, then pts will really moan to politicians about docs being not 
available. then we can reply to the DOH "we told u so".
the Times article made a v good point that the vast majority of pt are 
young, old, chronically sick for whom extended hours has no real advantage 
(in fact the young and the old actually want staggered surgeries during the 
day according to our pt survey) and those on shift work have no problem 
getting to am or pm surgeries. i actually think the pressure is indirectly 
from the hospitals saying that the OOH arrangements by PCTs (pace cock up) 
have caused a large rise in ambulance costs, A+E and hospital emergency 
admissions. The overspent PCTs (who r suppose to be on our side in the very 
nature of the initials) are also reporting similar to the DOH as they have 
to pay the emergency admissions.


>From: Declan Fox <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: GP-UK <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Demise of primary care?
>Date: Wed, 22 Aug 2007 08:44:40 +0100
>
>Yes a bit more to this, isn't there? We do have wonderful approval ratings 
>here in the UK which must be the main reason nLabour hates us so much. 
>Problem is, we don't use our popularity. I was feeling a bit cranky when I 
>wrote that Brit pts have been indoctrinated by the state--I think they 
>have, to some extent, and they seem unable to put the blame for poor 
>services squarely where it belongs, but I think that if we had leaders 
>willing to forego their gongs and put their heads up with shouts of Aux 
>Armes Citoyens! now and again---which is what happens in Canada--we would 
>all be the better for it.
>Declan
>
>
>
><<On 8/21/07, Declan Fox <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> >> Jel
> >>
> >> <<Have been part of one day of job action by docs here over the last 6
> >> years.
> >> How many years is it since the docs in the UK stood up for 
>themselves?>>
> >>
> >> And Canadian patients support their docs by and large when they take
> >> action. Brit patients have been indoctrinated by the state.
> >> Our BMA leaders and negotiators are not leaders and that is our problem
> >> here.
> >>
> >> Declan
> >>
>
>
>I have to say our patients do support us. Any politician with the
>approval ratings that we get from our patients would be cock-a-hoop!
>
>Cheers Geoff
>
>--

_________________________________________________________________
Get Pimped! FREE emoticon packs from Windows Live -  
http://www.pimpmylive.co.uk