The GP crisis: demonised and demoralised

Frustrated. Exhausted. Burnt out. These are just some of the things our colleagues in primary care are feeling. I’m a GP registrar in the final 6 months of my training. It’s taken me 15 years to get to this stage after starting my medical education in 2006. It’s taken commitment, numerous exams, and countless sacrifices; but it has always been worth it knowing I was making a difference to my patients’ lives and the satisfaction their hard-earned respect and gratitude gleaned. But all that has changed. The recent vitriol aimed at primary care from mainstream and social media is demoralising, soul destroying, and incredibly damaging. Contrary to popular belief, we are and always have been open. Prior to entering GP training, I worked in secondary care as a medical and emergency medicine registrar. Like most of my hospital colleagues, I had little understanding of what actually happened in the mystical land of general practice. I do now. Having been the most senior doctor covering medical wards and emergency departments out of hours in busy inner-city hospitals, I can firmly say I have never been busier. The pressures are different, but the impact is real and …