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You and Yours: Call You and Yours - How well are you served by your GP?

Family Doctors, Cost of Living, Elderly Carers

07/11/2017

Call You and Yours - How well are you served by your GP?

BBC Radio 4 - You and Yours, Call You and Yours - How well are you served by your GP?

Consumer phone-in. How well you are served by your GP?

On 'Call You and Yours' today we are asking what kind of service you are getting from your GP.

The national shortage of family doctors has increased pressure on surgeries and made it harder for many people to get an appointment when they need one. Some doctors report increased levels of stress as a result of the growing workload. Over the last few years, a range of initiatives and incentives have been put in place to attract and retain GPs, but the staffing crisis has remained. The government has promised to recruit 5,000 new GPs in England by 2020, but doctors' leaders say they are unlikely to meet that target. 

Some GPs are making use of modern technology to help them see more patients. A smartphone app has been launched which will allow patients to see their doctor via a video consultation within two hours. Critics argue that it could create a 'two-tier' NHS, giving the young and tech-savvy quicker access and leaving GPs in traditional settings to care for elderly patients and those with mental health problems. 

What's your experience of GP services? Email youandyours@bbc.co.uk and please don't forget to leave a phone number so we can call you back. 
From 11am on 7th November, you can call us direct on 03700 100444.

Producer: Jonathan Hallewell
Presenter: Winifred Robinson.

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