Club Speaker Meeting

10^th January 2019The Dr. will see you?   The future of General Practice - Dr. James Gray

Beforethe speaker presentation, Jane and Maggie made the award to Roy Mortledge for the Bernie Ashman Trophy, normally presented at our Christmas Dinner, which on this occasion Roy was unable to attend.

Dr James Gray gave a powerful and informative talk about the future changes we can expect in the NHS.  He started with the Daily Mail article suggesting that the national average for a routine appointment was 1 month! He outlined the differences between ‘Primary Care’ (GP’s) and Secondary Care (Hospitals), including the fact that only 7% of the NHS budget was spent on Primary Care! The changes are driven by several factors including the aging population, the multiple and chronic illnesses that can occur in old age and financial constraints.  There are some in the service that resist these changes such as the appointment of Physician Associates (a course on which James is Course Director at The University of Sheffield) and the use of online systems which they feel threaten their positions.  The general public are a big part of the problems, significantly the number of people who do not turn up for their appointments, which wastes a critical amount of resources. Many in the club were surprised to hear that James and many others in the service are not “NHS doctors” but contractors to the NHS, although they may employ some ‘salaried GP’s.

Club members responded to this talk with a long series of questions, one asking if he enjoyed his job.  He responded by saying that he does, but when working the 12 hour days when in the practice he finds it emotionally draining, which is why he lectures on the other days to give him a good balance. The numerous questions reflecting the quality of the talk and the growing interest in health matters from the aging membership.                                                                                                                                        SH/AR