A timely look at the state of the National Health Service in the UK, from its creation in 1948 to today.
General practice in the United Kingdom has reached a crisis point. The COVID-19 pandemic has strained an already crumbling primary care service, leaving both patients and National Health Service (NHS) staff struggling.
Seventy-five years after the creation of the NHS, Dr. Ellen Welch lifts the curtain on general practice. She looks back on the profession before the NHS, Aneurin Bevan’s role in the creation of the service, how the job has changed in the intervening years—particularly since the pandemic—and what the future of the profession might look like.
The book features personal accounts from general practitioners, including Dr. Aman Amir and Dr. Neena Jha, alongside key insights from health writer Ellie Philpotts and commentator Roy Lilley. Together, those on the frontline try to answer the question: how did we get here? And what can be done to make things better for us all in the future?
General practice in the United Kingdom has reached a crisis point. The COVID-19 pandemic has strained an already crumbling primary care service, leaving both patients and National Health Service (NHS) staff struggling.
Seventy-five years after the creation of the NHS, Dr. Ellen Welch lifts the curtain on general practice. She looks back on the profession before the NHS, Aneurin Bevan’s role in the creation of the service, how the job has changed in the intervening years—particularly since the pandemic—and what the future of the profession might look like.
The book features personal accounts from general practitioners, including Dr. Aman Amir and Dr. Neena Jha, alongside key insights from health writer Ellie Philpotts and commentator Roy Lilley. Together, those on the frontline try to answer the question: how did we get here? And what can be done to make things better for us all in the future?
Table of Contents
Foreword
Dr Amir Khan
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Dr Ellen Welch
Chapter 1 A brief history of NHS general practice
Ellie Philpotts with Dr Ellen Welch –
A brief history of NHS general practice
Roy Lilley – Gone 16
Dr Eric Rose – The history of out-of-hours GP services
Dr David Wrigley – NHS GPs aren’t private companies
Chapter 2 How the role has changed
Dr Christine Hunter with Dr Ellen Welch –
Thirty years as a Cornish GP
Dr Louise Hyde – The magic of general practice
Dr Ayan Panja – Expert generalism –
the power, the magic and the pitfalls
Chapter 3 GPs and the pandemic
Dr Neena Jha – Being a GP during the pandemic
Dr Aman Amir – Rising levels of abuse towards GPs
Chris Milligan – The personal toll of being a GP
Dr Elizabeth Croton –
GPs are not lazy, we’re working harder than ever
Chapter 4 What does a GP do in today’s Britain?
Dr Lizzie Toberty – On the pressures
Dr Catriona McNicol – On home visits
Dr Ellen Welch – On remote working
Dr Paul Evans – On workload caps
Dr Lizzie Toberty – On pay restoration
Dr Zainab Batool – On the 10-minute consult
Ron Templeton – What do the patients think?
Chapter 5 Does it work better elsewhere?
Dr Neil Barnard with Dr Ellen Welch –
Anywhere is better than the NHS
Dr Sarah Rushworth – From Merseyside to Nova Scotia
Dr Robin Kåss – General practice in Norway
Dr Lois Mugleston –
General practice in New Zealand and the UK
Dr Ellen Welch – The American system – fees at sea
Chapter 6 The future of general practice
Anonymous GP – Are allied healthcare
professionals a solution to the GP crisis?
Dr Ellen Welch – Are part-time GPs the problem?
Over to you – Solutions to the GP crisis in a nutshell
You and your GP
Doctors’ Association UK (DAUK)
List of contributors
Glossary
Help for GPs
Further reading
Endnotes
About the author
Dr Amir Khan
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Dr Ellen Welch
Chapter 1 A brief history of NHS general practice
Ellie Philpotts with Dr Ellen Welch –
A brief history of NHS general practice
Roy Lilley – Gone 16
Dr Eric Rose – The history of out-of-hours GP services
Dr David Wrigley – NHS GPs aren’t private companies
Chapter 2 How the role has changed
Dr Christine Hunter with Dr Ellen Welch –
Thirty years as a Cornish GP
Dr Louise Hyde – The magic of general practice
Dr Ayan Panja – Expert generalism –
the power, the magic and the pitfalls
Chapter 3 GPs and the pandemic
Dr Neena Jha – Being a GP during the pandemic
Dr Aman Amir – Rising levels of abuse towards GPs
Chris Milligan – The personal toll of being a GP
Dr Elizabeth Croton –
GPs are not lazy, we’re working harder than ever
Chapter 4 What does a GP do in today’s Britain?
Dr Lizzie Toberty – On the pressures
Dr Catriona McNicol – On home visits
Dr Ellen Welch – On remote working
Dr Paul Evans – On workload caps
Dr Lizzie Toberty – On pay restoration
Dr Zainab Batool – On the 10-minute consult
Ron Templeton – What do the patients think?
Chapter 5 Does it work better elsewhere?
Dr Neil Barnard with Dr Ellen Welch –
Anywhere is better than the NHS
Dr Sarah Rushworth – From Merseyside to Nova Scotia
Dr Robin Kåss – General practice in Norway
Dr Lois Mugleston –
General practice in New Zealand and the UK
Dr Ellen Welch – The American system – fees at sea
Chapter 6 The future of general practice
Anonymous GP – Are allied healthcare
professionals a solution to the GP crisis?
Dr Ellen Welch – Are part-time GPs the problem?
Over to you – Solutions to the GP crisis in a nutshell
You and your GP
Doctors’ Association UK (DAUK)
List of contributors
Glossary
Help for GPs
Further reading
Endnotes
About the author