Description
General Practice! Is its importance finally being recognised? Our
political masters, despite the media rhetoric, clearly understand
that healthcare standards can be raised and cost effectiveness
more easily attained in primary care. Hence, the multiplicity of initiatives to change the direction of the NHS e.g. Treatment Closer to Home, Practice Based Commissioning, and even polyclinics!
This wish list is unlikely to have an impact, short or long term, unless sufficient attention and resources are directed to providing the requisite clinical skills to those at the frontline. Too often the desire outstrips the means, which leads to further restructuring and more policy initiatives. The ultimate is a complete lack of focus and direction with resources channelled into Change Management rather than delivery of care. Perhaps we should ponder where all the extra monies
pumped into the NHS over the last 10 years, by labour/Gordon Brown, actually ended up. A perspective to mull over is the fact that the UK spends more on healthcare than all the nations of Africa aggregated.
Our Prime Minister is under personal and economic pressure so I await another NHS policy statement, which will lurch us into yet another reorganisation. The maelstrom of change will continue but we have to deal with the here and now: the patient sitting in the consultation room. The array of conditions seen in primary care are protean and we have a range of articles in this issue to reflect this.
The rarity of hypercalcaemia should not result in a panic as Drs Munigoti and Jones have provided an elegant and easily digestible review. My friend Dr Rout, a GP with a Special Interest (GPwSI) in ENT lays to rest the oft quoted myth that such GPs provide an inferior quality of service. You may usefully quote this to managers who are being obstructive in
developing such services. Depression is so commonly seen in primary care that there is a risk of becoming blas?? but Drs Emad and Gopal provide a timely treatise of the condition and the seriousness with which it should be approached. The media is rife with features on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and GPs are frequently ill-equipped to deal with it.
After reading the article by Drs Williams-Watson and Richards
the apprehension on encountering a patient with depression will be significantly reduced.
Finally, I should like to invite the readership to submit contributions which would be of interest to the delivery of care in the community. These can be review articles or case reports. Comments/letters on editorial content would be very welcome. I am always on hand if you wish to discuss your potential submission. Do drop me an email.
