How much is a doctor worth?

[TopGun]

Seems that GP partners are paid £114K on average for a 36 hour week.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7659169.stm

 

I might change my career! I could just open a partnership and hire some docs. No need for me to know anything about medicine.

[Crouchie's Lawyer]

Dunno but most of the doctors around just send you packing with some paracetemol or antibiotics.

 

I could do that all day FFS!

[Ponty]

I spent 1hr 35 mins struggling to get through traffic on Tuesday to get to an appointment with a specialist about my gammy shoulder. I was in the appointment, which was basically "Can you move it further and does it still hurt?", without him even leaving his chair, for 4 (yes four) minutes. Fortunately my return journey only took 35 mins as I wasn't stuck in the Oxford rush-hour traffic in the outward direction.

 

Over 2 hours driving for a 4 minute appointment he could have conducted over the phone. Impressed.

[bridge too far]

I can beat your recent experience Ponty!

 

Yesterday, I had a 90 minute drive to my mother's house and then a 15 minute drive to QAH in Portsmouth. We then had to wait from my mother's appointment time (10.30) until 11.45 to see the consultant.

 

He spent maybe 10 minutes tops talking to her and prescribing another batch of drugs for her.

 

We then had another 15 minute drive to her house and I then had a 90 minute drive home.

 

When, oh when, will these 'god-like' (in their eyes anyway) consultants begin to travel to local clinics to see their patients? My mother is ALWAYS physically sick after these visits because of anxiety and stress (at 83, blind and unable to walk). She HAS to attend the clinic to get the prescription for the very expensive drugs she has but it would be so much kinder to hold outreach clinics in the community hospitals.

[Baj]

It sounds like the doctors are trying to get through as many patients as possible because of the backlog, hence a) seeing you for a short amount of time and b) not wasting consultation time by having to travel

[Scummer]

When, oh when, will these 'god-like' (in their eyes anyway) consultants begin to travel to local clinics to see their patients?

 

Some do. QAH is the regional centre for people with Renal failure, but they have clinics in Basingstoke, Havant, Bognor etc.

[bridge too far]

Some do. QAH is the regional centre for people with Renal failure, but they have clinics in Basingstoke, Havant, Bognor etc.

 

I meant even more local than that. Renal is a very discrete, high tech specialty and that would demand visits to an acute hospital, I think.

 

But for things like diabetes, ophthalmology, haematolgy etc. there's no reason at all why patients shouldn't be seen much, much closer to where they live.

 

Oh yes there is - the consultants won't travel!

 

I remember when we were planning the new hospital at Oxford, it was suggested that outreach Eye clinics were established at community hospitals. One Ophthalmologist said 'there's no way I'm going to Didcot - it's a re-creation of Hell there'. He may have a point but Didcot is all of 12 miles from Oxford - not a journey to the other side of the world FFS.

[Ponty]

It sounds like the doctors are trying to get through as many patients as possible because of the backlog, hence a) seeing you for a short amount of time and b) not wasting consultation time by having to travel

 

Mine was private, so no backlog.

 

On the flipside (to be fair) this was my second consultation with the guy for my shoulder, both private, and the first time I was very impressed.

 

I turned up on the dot for my appointment, went straight in, had consult, went for x-rays (no waiting) and went straight back to see the Dr with a CD of my x-rays to keep. He'd already looked at my films on the intranet, suggested an ultrasound (which he did immediately) and gave me a Cortisone injection directly into the inflammation. All done in 30 mins or less. That would have been hours, or possibly over a couple of visits, on the NHS.

 

I think it was the disproportionate travel/consultation time that narked me this visit.

[saintwarwick]

Dunno but most of the doctors around just send you packing with some paracetemol or antibiotics.

 

I could do that all day FFS!

 

Makes you wonder if they have shares in the pharmeceutical companies as well considering how often they dish out prescriptions, or is it the government paying out bonuses to doctors for prescriptions sold...

[Patrick Bateman]

What has happened to the friendly local GP?

 

They all seemed to have morphed in to a bunch of miserable, crap, c*nts who don't care what's wrong with you and treat you as if you're only wasting their time. Then, dispense sh*t advice that you could have told yourself and are no help what-so-ever.

 

W*nkers, all of them.

[Deano6]

I once travelled three days for a 2 minute appointment. The doctor then sexually assaulted me and I got MRSA. Bloody NHS.

[Wade Garrett]

I saw a doctor who looked up my symptoms in a book, right in front of me. The one before that didn't look up from her computer screen the whole time I was in there. This was after I argued with the receptionist because I wouldn't tell her what was wrong with me when I tried to book the appointment (nosy ***** - and she hasn't signed the hypocratic oath).

 

Needless to say I changed surgeries. My new GP is very good, but still massively overpaid.

[Weston Saint]

My doctor saved my life back in 2000 so no complaint from me.

[saint boggy]

well, i have to say that my GP (big-up to Dr Meadows) and all the other doctors at chessel practice in bitterne are really good...

really understanding and take an interest in their patients.

 

just wish the doctors and consultants in hospitals seemed to be quite as quick at treating patients as the local GP's do.!!!......recently my son has twice been in hospital with serious leg infections.......the last time i took him , we arrived at the Paediatric Assesment Unit at SGH and were met by a lovely friendly nurse who took my son's ob's and background information......once she'd finished she informed me that we were the only ones waiting to be seen by the doctor, so should be within 20 minutes or so...........every now n then a couple of doctors would walk past "consulting " each other (having a gasbag, in other words)................2 and a half fu*king hours later the doctor shows up all smiley and happy....by this time the infection on my sons leg had DOUBLED in size, and was causing him a great deal of discomfort!!!!!...no prizes for guessing, i was slightly p1ssed off!!!

 

and then ,just to add insult to injury, 3 days later when we were allowed home we had to wait 6 f*cking hours for my sons prescription to arrive from the pharmacy (and even then we only got it because a nurse went down there herself and virtually demanded they made the meds up for her there n then!!) it was only antibiotics FFS!!! nothing complicated!!!!

twas a f*cking joke!!! :smt093

 

all that said tho, i would much rather have the NHS than what the Yanks have.........where the poor cannot afford even basic medical treatment....tis wrong.......

Edited 10 October, 2008 by saint boggy

[OldNick]

they are no better than they were before the 58% rise in salary, that is most pertinent to me.

[bridge too far]

Makes you wonder if they have shares in the pharmeceutical companies as well considering how often they dish out prescriptions, or is it the government paying out bonuses to doctors for prescriptions sold...

 

I don't THINK they have shares (although there's no easy way of finding that out) but I do know that said pharmaceutical companies spend thousands 'entertaining' consultants in exotic locations.

 

It was a fact at the hospital I used to work at that it was difficult to see a consultant in January because they were all at conferences held at ski resorts. A coincidence I expect

 

I doubt the government pays out bonuses for prescriptions. In fact, the NHS drugs buying agency has worked very hard to successfully challenge drugs pricing, delivering a saving for the taxpayer.

[tombletomble]

I am assuming that everyone that is slagging off doctors in this thread got straight A's at GCSE, went to college to study science, again getting straight A's, before then going to uni for 6 YEARS so that they could spend the rest of their working life helping the rest of us to live as comfortable a life as the government will provide the funds for.

 

 

I agree that the NHS is not being run as efficiently as many would like but do not take it out on people that are amongst those that deserve the most respect from everyone. Being a Dr is very hard work. They have to make decisions and deal with situations concerning something more important than anything else most people are involved in, human life. Before you question what they earn, think about what they do for society and then concider the wages/bonuses paid out in other professions.

 

In the current financial climate, I think doctors are the last people that should be victomised for their wages.

 

 

 

 

To all those that want to complain that the service they received from the NHS wasn't perfect, how much did you pay upon receiving your treatment?

The NHS may not be the best health care you can receive but compare it to other countries where treatment is completely free. The NHS is one of the best

 

Would you rather live in a country where over 15% of the population couldn't afford basic health insurance and be potentially denied the most basic of treatment?

Edited 10 October, 2008 by tombletomble

[skintsaint]

Is this why Nurses get **** pay as all the cash goes to the Docs?

[Thorpe-le-Saint]

Dunno but most of the doctors around just send you packing with some paracetemol or antibiotics.

 

I could do that all day FFS!

 

lol that is one of the most ridiculous posts I have ever seen

[Scummer]

I meant even more local than that. Renal is a very discrete, high tech specialty and that would demand visits to an acute hospital, I think.

 

But for things like diabetes, ophthalmology, haematolgy etc. there's no reason at all why patients shouldn't be seen much, much closer to where they live.

 

Oh yes there is - the consultants won't travel!

 

I remember when we were planning the new hospital at Oxford, it was suggested that outreach Eye clinics were established at community hospitals. One Ophthalmologist said 'there's no way I'm going to Didcot - it's a re-creation of Hell there'. He may have a point but Didcot is all of 12 miles from Oxford - not a journey to the other side of the world FFS.

 

But in your first post you said the QA is fifteen minutes from your mums house. I wouldn't say that's far to travel. The fact that you yourself had a longer journey than that is irrelevant. It would be much more inefficient for one doctor to travel from the QA to Southsea, Waterlooville, Havant, Fareham etc than for them to come to him.

[Master Bates]

I hate doctors, they play ping pong with me too many times.

 

Doc sends me to the dentist, dentist sends me back to the docs, the doc sends me back to the dentist and then I gave up.

[bridge too far]

But in your first post you said the QA is fifteen minutes from your mums house. I wouldn't say that's far to travel. The fact that you yourself had a longer journey than that is irrelevant. It would be much more inefficient for one doctor to travel from the QA to Southsea, Waterlooville, Havant, Fareham etc than for them to come to him.

 

You're right - 15 minutes would be no problem if I was attending there for myself (assuming I lived near Fareham) but even a 15 minute drive stresses my 83 year old blind, diabetic mother who suffers from leukaemia. She is ALWAYS sick when we get back home because of the stress.

 

At her leukaemia clinic there are always four consultants on duty. And most people who attend do so every two / three months. It would be very easy to have one consultant hold the clinic at, say, Fareham; one at, say, Havant etc. It would cut down on the awful parking problems at QA too. And that's for a fairly rare illness.

 

In January, I have to take her to QA one day for the eye clinic (and the parking / waiting area / waiting time is dire for that clinic) and then take her back the next day for the leukaemia clinic. They can't arrange both clinic visits in one day. So we'll have two days of stress related illness to manage. There are hundreds of eye patients attending QA. It would be so much more convenient for the patients (many of whom can't take themselves to the clinic because of poor sight) to hold outreach clinics.

 

It is, in fact, an NHS objective to deliver chronic disease management clinics in local health centres for the convenience of the patients. It's the consultants and doctors who object.

[scott_saints]

From my personal experience of doctors, I f**king hate them.

 

When I was ickle I nearly died becuase they didn't realise what was wrong with me on THREE different occasions.

I have been a few times in the last couple of years but have given up, seeing as they have no idea what to do with problems that aren't "physical" and know very, very little about it.

 

To sum up, I have decided that doctors are all c**ts.