How good is your doctor?
Dr Vernon Coleman
GPs in Britain claim that they are overworked and cannot cope. But they’re lazy or incompetent - or they’re lying. More and more doctors now fob patients off on `assistants’ – claiming that they’re too busy to see or speak to patients. But the figures show that doctors do far less work today than they did two, three, four or five decades ago. Today, the average GP in the UK works between 23 and 24 hours a week. And figures show that there are more doctors per 100,000 patients than there were decades ago. Doctors used regularly to deal with emergencies, to admit sick patients direct to hospital wards and to routinely visit patients at home if they were ill or frail. A couple of decades ago, the vast majority of doctors cared for their work and their patients and tried to be of use. They were driven by vocation and a sense of pride. Some (a few) of today’s doctors are doubtless good and useful. Sadly, on balance, too many new doctors are driven only by greed and self-interest. They are of little practical use and actually do far more harm than good.
Answer all the questions below with one of three answers. Score 10 for YES and 0 for NO. Note that these questions, and your answers, do not establish that your doctor is a good clinician.
1. If you need an urgent appointment will your doctor see you the day you ring?
2. Can you get a standard appointment in less than a week?
3. Can you see the doctor of your choice?
4. Can you see a doctor without an unqualified receptionist asking personal questions?
5. Does your doctor take blood samples, remove stitches, syringe ears, etc., without referring you to someone else?
6. Does your doctor insist on seeing you at least once every six months if you need regular prescriptions?
7. Does your doctor always see you face to face?
8. Does your doctor visit patients at home if they are too ill to get to the surgery?
9. Does your doctor visit patients at home at night, at the weekend and on bank holidays?
10. If you need to speak to your doctor urgently can you usually speak to him on the telephone?
Now check the scores
If you scored 100 then you have a Superdoc – five stars with a Golden Stethoscope.
If you scored 80 to 95 then you have a very good, caring doctor. Four and a half stars
If you scored 60 to 80 then your doctor is trying, but could do considerably better. Four stars.
If you scored 40 to 60 then your doctor is average only. Three stars.
If you scored 20 to 40 then your doctor is below average and probably of little practical value. Two stars.
If you scored under 20 then your doctor is an ignorant and incompetent buffoon who should be doing something else for a living – preferably a job that doesn’t involve live human beings. One Star.
For help in dealing with doctors please read my two books `How to stop your doctor killing you’ and `Coleman’s Laws: The twelve medical truths you must know to survive.’ Both books are available through the bookshop on www.vernoncoleman.com
Copyright Vernon Coleman September 2024
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