"Very disappointing"

First of all, the nurses and blood-taking lady are just lovely, patient and kind.

The reception staff are a mixed bag.

Some are terse, acerbic and rude whereas others can, on a good day with a fair wind, be really pleasant.

It's the doctors, though.

There are some flashes of acceptable practice.

In the main, however, I wonder how they have managed to keep the surgery going for so long with such a consistently poor group of medics.

Presumably they were first attracted to a medical career in face-to-face clinical patient care, even in some small way, because of some kind of notion about wanting to help people.

Then they've spent years in general and specialist training during which time they will have had plenty of contact with actual patients.

But where did this notion of caring (even if it was peripheral to their desire for high level academic study) go?

Did they not realise during their training that perhaps face-to-face patient care wasn't for them?

Perhaps they've become jaded over the years but, if this is the case, why don't they do something else not involving patient-centred care?

They don't look at you, they don't listen, you can see their eyes glazing over.

I've had one who spent the whole consultation clearing the desk and packing a briefcase.

They don't read letters properly.

Sometimes they smile and nod but you know that nothing is really going in, that you will be fobbed off with a prescription that may or may not be appropriate and is easier than investigating the underlying reason for the signs or symptoms that are present or actively managing a chronic condition properly.

We’re trying to move to another practice but all are closed to new patients or are out of area so it looks as if we’re stuck for now.

In the meantime, the only alternative route is seeing a private GP, something we never thought we would consider but are now actively looking into.