"Heart of Gold"

My partner and I have been registered with this practice for nearly twenty years.

A rapidly escalating series of events four years ago led to him being diagnosed with PTSD.

As the gravity of his situation was revealed, I left full-time work and became a full-time carer.

It's possible over that time that you've sat in the waiting room wondering why the queue doesn't appear to be moving. If so, I apologise: either my partner or I may have been the cause. But believe me, neither of us wants to require so much of the doctors' time.

We have both been treated with dignity and respect and have felt that our voices have been heard and our wishes respected when discussing difficult decisions about treatment. And that level of quality of service can't, I'm afraid, be achieved within a five minute slot.

So, I do not mind that this practice is not housed in a spanking new building. I can forego exotic potted plants, television screens showing advertising materials and rows of hard plastic seats.

What matters, at all levels of staffing, is the commitment to offering a quality of service and, at the heart of this practice is the commitment to aim for a gold standard.